Fall
by Typical Sundays
Summary: Sora and Kairi hate each other, but they have one thing in common, the secrets they keep. Could their pain bring them together, or only push them futher apart? highschool fic. Sokai, namoxas, claerith, and more to come!
1. Tumble

Hello, and welcome to the first chapterof** Fall! **Yay!Sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors. I try to catch most of them, but I can miss some! Tell me if you see any really bad ones!!

Symbols 

**Thoughts**

&&&&&&& scene change

An:)) Authoress' note

Kairi's POV

Have you ever had someone who knew everything about one you, but nothing about the REAL you? For me, that's basically everyone. Well, except my real best friend. Enter Namine; she is the only person I tell anything. She knows all my secrets and I know her's. Without her, I have lost my real self ages ago, but to understand that you'd have to see my life...

&&&&&&&

Normal POV

Kairi strutted into school, the movement resembling something of a catwalk. If you saw it, you'd think she was famous. Groups of girls gathered waving helplessly. Guys gawked at her, almost drooling. She was immediately greeted by Selphie, an abnormally hyper girl with short brown hair and green eyes. She chatted away about things Kairi couldn't care less about.

She approached Namine's locker, the hyper cling-on still by her side.

"Hey nam." "Hey kai... Selphie."

"

Hi" Selphie responded in a cool tone. **How could Kairi be best friends with this unpopular girl? Better friends with her than herself?** Selphie hated to be outdone.

Noticing the tension rising, Kairi choose this moment to excuse herself. "Ummm, I'll see you guys later..." She said beginning to walk off.

"Bye k--"

"BYE KAIRI!!!" Selphie called, cutting Namine off with an extravagant wave. Namine simply rolled her eyes and walked away.

Entering her math class, Kairi took her usual seat in the back where she could text during class and not have creepy nerdy guys breathing down her back. She was greeted by Aerith, who took a seat next to her. She had long brown, braided hair, secured with a bow. She had emerald eyes and always wore pink.

"Hey kairi" "Hi Aerith. Cloud on his way?" Kairi asked, knowing her talking time with Aerith was limited due to the brunette's boyfriend.

"Yes, he'll be here in a bit. So when's the party at your house?"

"This Saturday" Kairi answered. **If by my house you mean Namine's.** She thought to herself.

Contrary to everyone else's' beliefs, Kairi was actually quite poor, it was really Namine who had all the money. It always made Kairi wonder why Namine wasn't very popular. "I don't like the spotlight on me." she had said. So, whenever Kairi had a party, she had it at Namine's, calling it her house. She didn't know why Namine let her do it. "You're my best friend. I've got your back" Namine had reassured, but Kairi always went the extra mile to make it up to her.

Actually, Kairi spent most of her time at Namine's anyway. At home her father was... forceful, and she did all she could to stay out of his way. That included working two jobs, her clothes didn't pay for themselves after all.

"Hey babe." Then there was Axel, her not so loving Boyfriend.

Kairi simply ignored him. He forcefully grabbed her arm, "I said hey babe." She stayed silent until his grip on her arm began to hurt.

"Ow! Fuck Axel! What do you want?!"

"Answer me when I talk to you"

"I'm not your property; you can't make me do anything!"

Kairi looked over to Aerith for support, but found her already in a full-on make-out session with Cloud.

"Who says you're not? As long as you're my girlfriend, you belong to me."

"Then consider us broken up."

"I'm afraid you can't do that"

"I'm afraid I just did." Kairi said turning her back to him. Axel raised his arm to slap her.

No one talks to him this way. But before he could do anything, the teacher spoke "alright, everybody in their seats!"

He lowered his arm. "I'm not done" he vowed. She merely waved him off, opting to turn her attention back to her teacher. However, that only lasted about 5 minutes, when she fell asleep.

When the bell rang, Kairi made a point to be the first one out the door. It was her last class of the day, and Kairi just wanted to get out. She sprinted to the chorus room, catching a few people staring oddly at her. Why would THE Kairi be in a rush? **Well, wouldn't they like to know?** Amidst her thoughts, Kairi almost trampled the chorus teacher. "Oh, sorry Ms. Yuna!" She said helping the teacher up. "That's quite alright Kairi. What are you running from?"

"Oh, I'm not running FROM anything, I just uh, don't want to be late?" she stated almost as a question. Yuna glanced at her watch. " You still have 5 minutes"

" Well, I ... wanted to ask you about auditions for the musical. When are they?"

"Well. Chicago is a fairly large production, so we're starting early. I'm holding auditions Today and Friday after school"

"I have wor-- I mean dinner parties right after school on both days! Is there any way I could audition on Saturday?"

"Sure, can you be here at 12?"

"Yah, thank you so much!"

"No sweat" and with that taken care of, she took a seat.

&&&&&&&&

Sora approached the chorus room late as usual. So far his day had been normal: wake up, avoid his old man with a hangover, shower, and take his red convertible to school. From there, he met Riku and the two endured the painful hours of class. Now, however, he was alone. Riku had band, and he had chorus.

He opened the door, the teacher not even caring when he came in late; she was used to it, and took a seat by Roxas. Roxas, who was almost a mirror image of Sora, except that he had blonde hair, was in Sora's group of friends. This basically consisted of the blitzball jocks: Sora, Roxas, Riku, Wakka, Shuyin, Cloud, Axel, and Demyx, and their girlfriends.

"What are we doing?" he whispered to Roxas. "Razzle dazzle" he replied. "What a stupid name for a song" "yah" they agreed. Class went by uneventfully. "And remember" Ms. Yuna began, "All boys must at least try out for the play. No exceptions. Last year, we didn't have nearly enough boys. Sorry to bring that up again ladies." she said remembering how some of the girls had to act as boys and some were teased so much about it, they had to transfer schools. Needless to say, they were at a very cruel school. Moving on though...

Sora raised his hand. "Ms.Yuna, I'm terribly sorry," **yah right**," But I have previously scheduled engagements, I can't make it today... or Friday." He said in a fake sorrowful voice, making his fan girls giggle.

"Aw, that's too bad, I suppose it carries till Saturday then too?" she asked.

"Oh, no, nothing on Saturday" he said, carried away with a mini victory dance. "Good, then you will have no trouble coming in at 12 then."

"Wait what? No, I mean, I don't want to interrupt your bust schedule..." he said.

"Oh, no. Kairi's coming in too, so it's no trouble." Sora shot a glare at Kairi, who ignored him. They didn't have the greatest relationship, needless to say.

The bell rang. "Don't forget people!!" Ms. Yuna shouted finally, the students rushing out the door.

Kairi pushed through the door until someone grabbed her shoulder. She turned around, raising her arms in defense in case it was Axel. "Whoa! Easy there red!"

Kairi lowered her hands and sighed, in a mixture of relief and aggravation.

"Do you have to mess everything up for me?" he began. "It's not my fault you're terrible at lying."

"Whatever, If Ms. Perfect Life had just settled with going after school, but no, you're probably too busy shopping."

"Oh, shut up! I have important things to do, unlike SOME people. Just because you're Mr. Rich and popular doesn't mean you're an exception to auditioning."

What things do YOU have to do? Besides, last time I checked you were rich too. So don't try and pull the whole "poor me" act."

Kairi had to bite her tongue from blowing her secret, but she caught herself.

"I just have stuff to do" she resolved.

"What stuff?"

"Stuff" "what kind of stuff?"

"The kind of stuff that's not your business." She said trying to loose him amongst the crowd, but he wouldn't have it.

"Well, now I know you're up to something." he said, following close behind her.

"Sora Hikari!"

"Now you sound like my mother."

"LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!!!" she screamed getting a few awkward looks. She turned on her heel and stormed off. She did NOT need his bull right now. She climbed in her car and headed to The Inforum. The Inforum was one of the many buildings owned by a record company. Kairi worked there as a human resources supervisor. It was good money, so she worked as much as possible. Her other job was at a cafe at the mall called Destiny Java. She waitressed there when she wasn't working here. She rode up the elevator 3 floors and navigated the office until she found her cubicle. She sat down, putting her purse in the shelf and turned on her computer. She was about to log on, when a head popped over her wall, startling her.

"Ah!" she jumped.

"Oh, sorry I didn't mean to scare you Kairi"

"It's fine Rikku" She seethed to the blonde Al bhed. "Wow, Kai, you look tense. What's up?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

Kairi sighed," Oh, nothing. Just this really annoying guy bothering me."

"Is he cute?" "Rikku!" "Sorry, sorry, one-track mind."

Actually Kairi hadn't ever really thought about it. She had been too busy hating Sora to ever think about his looks. She remembered how when she first met him she had thought he was cute. He had chocolaty hair that spiked out in all directions; normally this would look odd, but somehow it just made him look cuter. He was trim, built, but not humongous. Then, he had amazing blue eyes. So deep that it made the ocean look dull. But that was a long time ago. Kairi almost hated herself for thinking like that. She despised him after all!

"Kai? Kairi, you still here? Wooohu?"

Rikku waved a hand in front of the dazed girls face. "So I take it he IS cute." "Go away Rikku." "Fine, fine, I'll find out on my own..."

Kairi wanted to turn around and ask how, but that would just prompt another round of questioning. Instead, she sighed and faced her computer again.

&&&&&&&&&

What was with that girl? **What a freak. **He thought. Although, he couldn't lie, she was hott. When they had first met, he had thought she was amazing. Fiery red hair, contrasted by deep indigo eyes that always looked as they had a secret. One that would not be told soon. She had a slim body, with curves in the right places. **Oh man, why am I thinking this? Remember you hate each other. There was no way to get around that.** Or was there?...

**Shut up**. He told himself, **it doesn't matter anyway.**

Sora entered his house quietly. He checked the garage and sighed in relief when he found his father's car missing. He ate a quick dinner, then went to his room and locked the door. Not that that would stop his father if he was drunk again, which was almost all the time. But at least it gave him some time to climb out the window if need be.

He quickly did his homework and then got on the computer. When he next checked, it was 10 p.m. Kinda early, but what the heck. He thought. He got ready for bed, fortunately his father wasn't back yet, and climbed into bed, letting sleep pull him away from his worry.

&&&&&&&&

Kairi arrived home at around 8 that night, after getting dinner with Rikku. She entered the house to find her father in the kitchen.

"Where have you been?" he demanded.

"Working" "Where's the money? I pay all the bills around here. No help from you. You're useless, just like your damn mother! Get out of my sight."

**You're the only useless thing here asshole.** She thought, continuing to her room. This was Mother Teresa compared to how he usually was. She got ready for bed and entered her room, locking the door to make sure he didn't say anything. She got on the computer, talking to Namine a bit before turning it off and going to sleep.

**AN:)) Hey Guys!! I hope you liked it! This is my first Fic. So, I'd appreciate any feedback. Even bad stuff, that's what makes us better!! I'll continue if I get enough reviews telling me I should. I don't want to put up a bad story! So yah, READ AND REVIEW!!**

**Livvy**


	2. Trip

AN :)) Hey all! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed!!! Especially thanks to kingdomfantasyanime453, my first reviewer! You guys are the coolest, so pat yourselves on the back. No seriously, do it now! Lol. Sorry for the long wait, I took this trip to NY, and while it was awesome, it left no time to write! Sorry for any spelling/ grammer errors! So anyway, here it is, the second chapter of Fall! Enjoy! Livvy

Disclaimer: No I do not.

Symbols

**Thoughts**

_Flashback/dream_

&&&&&&&&& scene change

"Trip"

_The smell of smoke and alcohol filled the air. Kairi shuffled her way back to her table, only to find her mother on her sixth beer of the night. How long had she been gone?_

"_Mom? Mom are you Ok?" she asked gently shaking her. Her mother looked up, a glazed look painting her features._

"_Oh, Kairi! You've got to have one of these! They're greet! Oh, I mean great, great, you know what I meant." Her words sloshed together._

"_Mom, I'm 14! You're supposed to drive us home! Do you know how mad Jecht will get if we're late?"_

"_Don't worry Kairi, I can drive, I'm fine." She said as she shakily rose. "Whoa!" Kairi caught her mother as she stumbled back._

"_Mom…" Kairi reached for the keys._

"_No! I can drive!" she said, slapping Kairi's hand away. She paid the bill and sauntered towards the door._

_One, two, three times she missed the keyhole until finally, Kairi steadied her mother's hand enough to start the car._

_Rain washed over the windshield as Kairi and her mother drove down the flooded streets. Kairi held the steering wheel to stop them from swerving between the lanes. Suddenly, she heard sniffles. She turned to see her mother crying silently._

"_Oh Kairi, sweetie, I'm so sorry. Someday, we won't need Jecht. You and I will leave and travel together. Just us."_

_Kairi fought the sting in her eyes, keeping them locked on the road ahead. As much as she wanted to believe her mother, she knew it wouldn't happen. Her mother was too weak, and Kairi couldn't just up and leave her._

_Tears trailed down the contours of his face, making intricate paths that meandered down. She looked to her mother, eyes off the road for 5 seconds…_

_&&&&&&&&_

"_Dude hurry up, we've got to get to the party in time!"_

"_Shut-up Seifer, I'm going as fast as I can." Reno replied to the impatient Blond. _

"_Aw fuck, red light." _

"_Dude, just run it."_

"_No."_

"_Come on man, there's no one around."_

_Reno sighed heavily. He glanced quickly at his watch and grunted irritably._

"_Fine."_

_Reno floored the accelerator, only to be blinded by headlights._

_&&&&&&&&&&_

_Kairi's car crashed into Reno's, then spun around and hit a street light._

_&&&&&&&&&&_

_One week later, Kairi was released from the hospital, bearing only minor wounds, but her mother was dead, and so was Reno. But that was only the beginning of her troubles…_

_&&&&&&&&&&_

Kairi woke up in cold sweat. The accident had been 4 years ago. She had never forgiven herself for letting her mother drive that night. Even if it meant angering Jecht, it was a poor decision, and it had cost Kairi her mother. But it was too late now; she couldn't bring her back by blaming herself and lingering in the past. So, she shook her head and rose from her bed.

She tip-toed out of her room and quickly took a shower, letting the hot water wash away her troubled thoughts and dreams. She dried off and put on clothes, entering the bathroom to put on make-up. She glanced at her reflection, practicing her smile as she did every morning. She couldn't lead on about her home life. After all, all anyone knew of her was happy, rich, popular Kairi, and why would she be sad?

She pulled herself together before a tear could be shed. She had a long day ahead of her. School would be followed by work at the café, and then the possible confrontation with her father that evening. Without another thought on the matter, Kairi grabbed her things and left for school.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Kairi scrubbed the counters at Destiny Café. This was the third time today that she had to do it. Each time the assistant manager, Cid, would tell her that it wasn't clean enough. She finished drying it and scurried over to a table to take their order before Cid could tell her to do it again.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Sora walked aimlessly around the mall. Riku had ditched him to make out with Selphie at the movies. Ew. Bad images. Sora waved at two particularly cute girls as they passed. They giggled and scurried away. He was so smooth, and so he decided he deserved a cup of coffee.

"Hmmm Destiny Café? That's new, might as well check it out." He said reading the sign and shrugging to himself as he approached the café.

&&&&&&&&&&&

"Wow, Cid really likes you." Leon commented as Kairi continued to wipe down the counter. Again. Leon was like Kairi's long lost brother. He always stuck up for her and was very protective. And at 6 foot 3, he did a pretty good job doing just that. She told him almost everything, almost. She hadn't told him about her father for obvious reasons. See protective sentence.

"I know, I think we'll have a tea party and paint each other's nails later."

"You could quit."

"No, I need the money, even if it means dealing with JERK FACES." Kairi said, hoping Cid had overheard. She through the towel over her shoulder and approached the counter as she heard someone ring the bell.

"Hi, what will you have today?" Kairi said looking up with a bright smile. This smile, however, was quickly replaced with a horror struck one. **Speaking of jerk faces…**

"Kairi?!" Sora said Gazing at the fiery haired girl before him. He took in the apron, the "Hi, my name is Kairi" badge, the dirty towel adorning her shoulder.

"Do you work here?" he asked in disbelief.

"No! I mean yes. It's just for fun though."

"You call this," he looked around for emphasis, "fun?"

"Well, yah. I mean, Namine works here too." It was the truth, she just had today off.

"Why do you hang out with that girl? You could buy better friends with your money."

"I don't judge you, or your friends. So if you're going to order something, I suggest you do it now before I decide not to be nice." Kairi said placing her hands on her hips.

"Oooooo, I'm so scared. Whatever. I'll take a double shot espresso." He said.

"$2.09. One double shot espresso." Kairi repeated to Leon who had approached shortly after the conversation began. Kairi had some explaining to do, but none the less, he prepared the drink.

"So you really work here? You really are a freak" he chuckled as he handed her the money. Kairi clenched her jaw, remembering that Cid was watching.

"I'll deal with you later." She growled. She went over to where Leon prepared his drink and grabbed the cup, leveling her mouth with the lid.

"Kairi, you wouldn't…" Leon began, but was interrupted when Kairi hocked up and spit into the cup.

"Or, you would." He sighed. Kairi placed a lid on the cup and took it over to Sora, wearing a large smile.

"Enjoy your drink!" her voice laced with lethal cheer. Sora looked at the cup suspiciously before shrugging it off and taking the cup to go. Kairi laughed maniacally when he was out of ear range, that is until Leon approached wearing a stern face.

**Crap, explanation time.** She thought to herself.

"So, care to explain anything?" he asked.

"Not particularly." Kairi said innocently. Leon shot her a dangerous look.

"Alright, alright. Ummm, people at school kinda think I'm rich…" she said fiddling with the ends of the hair.

"Thus the two jobs." He assumed.

"Thus the two jobs." She confirmed.

"Wow, well is there anything else you haven't told me?"

"No." **Just that my father beats the shit out of me on a daily basis.** Wouldn't that sound nice? Despite how appealing that sounded, Kairi chose not to discuss that portion of her life. She hated lying, but she hated the truth more.

"Alright. Well, you know I'm always here for you right?" he asked with a concerned expression.

"Yah I know" she smiled bitter sweetly. She gave him a quick hug before returning to work. Couldn't have slave driver Cid catching her off duty now could she?

**An:)) Ok, so I know not a lot happened in this chapter and it was shorter, but it gave a little back round on Kairi. Read and review please! **

**3 Livvy 3**


	3. Stumble

AN :)) Hola, well that about sums up all the Spanish I know, but moving away from my lack of language knowledge… So, this chapter is gonna be full of lot of stuff, sorry if it's a little hectic or confusing! I'm kinda winging it and writing off the top of my head, so bear with me. **Lots of Bad language in this chapter, be forewarned! **Also, reviews are always, always appreciated if you have any suggestions or questions. I would also like to dedicate this chapter to my best friend Janki, who's been helping me out and encouraging me. You're awesome!! Another thanks to all of my reviewers, you guys are so amazing!

One more thing: in the second chapter, I mixed up some names in the flashback. Axel was supposed to be Seifer. So sorry for the confusion! I edited it so hopefully that'll help. Sorry again!!! So, I'm going to stop ranting like a crazy person and start with the story!

Disclaimer: If I did, there would be more Sora and Kairi fluff, duh!

Symbols

**Thoughts**

_Flashbacks_

&&&&&&&&&& scene change

"Stumble"

Kairi sighed heavily as she entered the drive-thru portion of the bank. Work had left her bushed, what with Cid constantly breathing down her back, not to mention Sora's little surprise drop-in. She rolled down her window and selected the "deposit" feature on the panel. She entered the amount, 100 munny, and enclosed the cash in an envelope. She checked the balance, currently holding $5,000.

Kairi had been saving her money since she was 8, collecting every cent she could, and then putting it in the account. When she was little, she had hoped that her mother and she could use it to travel the world like they had planned. Now, however, she was planning on using it to get an apartment after graduation. Someplace far, far away from here. All she needed to do was to hold out until the end of the school year, then she wouldn't need her father's munny and she could get out of her hellish home.

Sometimes Kairi contemplated just calling the police and having them arrest her father, but something always stopped her. When the abuse had first started, Kairi was full of spirit and fire, but now that had died away, a deep fear taking its place. She had lost her spark, her hopes of being able to overpower her father slowly diminishing. Now, however, she had a chance to get out, All she had to do was wait till the end of the school year. She was counting down every minute. 5 months, 6 days, 20 hours, and 28 minutes.

But in the meantime…

"Kairi, get in here!" She had arrived home, unfortunately.

"What took you so long?"

"I was at work" she replied, glaring as she spoke to the man who was supposedly her father.

"Don't lie to me! Where were probably out with that filthy boyfriend of yours!"

"I was not! Don't tell me where I was and wasn't! I think I would know!"

"You little slut! You're off with your pathetic boyfriend. Next thing you know you're gonna have a disgusting little brat nursing off you!" He slapped her face hard. Kairi stumbled back, holding her throbbing cheek.

"Then you'll come crying here, bringing your shit-brained kid with you! You're worthless! A filthy ugly slut, just like your damn mother!" He struck her again, and slammed her against a wall.

"Get out." He ordered, turning back to the couch. Kairi began to retreat, until she heard a crashing noise. A sharp sting rose up her legs. She turned back to see her father had thrown a beer bottle at her. It hit the wall and shattered shards of glass everywhere, a number of them hitting Kairi. She ran to her room and locked the door. She sat carefully on her bed as she removed tiny pieces of glass from her delicate skin. She cleaned her cuts, not shedding a tear until she couldn't take it anymore. Tears sprouted from her indigo eyes and dripped off her face on to her bed. **How did it get this bad? How did I let it get this bad? I'm so weak, maybe I am worthless… No! Don't think that way! I'll get through this; I've got to hold on just a little while longer…**

She collapsed on her bed, attempting to push her thoughts away, but even as she slept, she found it impossible to do so. Her father's face and words forced their way into them. She couldn't take it. She climbed out of bead, grabbed a few belongings and some clothes and climbed out of her window. She ran full speed to Namine's house.

It was a large building with cream colored pillars in the front. On top of them was a large balcony with a table, chairs, and a swing on it. Kairi crept silently to the side of the house, climbing up a ladder that was hidden behind some vines. She and Namine had placed it there many years ago. _"This way, you can come over whenever you want. Just climb up to my room and I'll sit with you until you're ok. It'll be like a sleepover!!_ She had said.

Kairi knocked repeatedly on the window. Finally, a sleepy-eyed Namine came and opened it. Kairi tumbled in over the sill, Namine's eyes growing wide at the sight of her condition.

"Oh my god Kairi! What did he do to you?!" The frightened blonde said giving Kairi a tight hug.

"I don't want to talk about it…" Kairi said She had been trying to rid herself of the memory, and wasn't too eager to bring it up again.

"You need to get out of there Kairi! It's too dangerous! I'll tell my parents, you can live with us, and we'll have that bastard arrested and sent to jail for life!" She urged.

"Namie, you know I don't have enough money to pay for school! If I just hold out until graduation I can leave! I'll get a scholarship, and you and I can get an apartment! But right now, I can't leave… I just… can't" Kairi sobbed into Namine's shoulder, the blonde stroking her hair in a sisterly fashion.

Finally, Kairi collected herself and sat down on the bed. "So, what's been going on with you?"

"Kairi, don't change the subject!"

"I told you I don't want to talk about it just yet! Can't we just focus on something else? Come on! How's Roxas? How are you guys doing?"

Namine sighed in defeat. "He's good. He just got accepted to a University in Twilight Town."

"Isn't that where he used to live?"

"Yah, I was thinking about going to a college near by so we could see each other. We're going out to dinner tomorrow if that answers your second question."

"Yes, it does." Kairi sighed a little in sadness. As much as she hated to admit it, she was quite jealous of what Namine and Roxas had. They were so perfect for each other. Roxas was always so sweet, and they hardly ever fought. She was so happy for Namine, but at the same time, there was always the fact that she and Roxas had something Kairi couldn't even hope for.

"What about you?" Namine asked, breaking the cumbersome silence that had settled in. "Where are you going to school?"

"Any place that will give me a scholarship. I put in an application to that art school near Twilight Town, and also one in Radiant Gardens, so I'm just waiting for a reply."

"That's great! If you go to Twilight Town, we can really get an apartment together!"

"Was there ever any doubt?"

"Well, I don't know. Things happen. It's just, oh never mind."

"No, tell me what you mean." Kairi insisted.

"Well, you know… Roxas and I might want to… have a little space and, when you get a boyfriend you'll want space. I dunno, it might be a little cramped." Namine said nervously.

"But, we've been planning this ever since we were little…" Kairi said a little crest fallen. She never really realized that she might be a burden to Namine and Roxas.

"It's not final or anything, we have no plans. I'm just saying…" Namine trailed off.

"I know Namie. It's fine. We'll always have each other. We are sisters after all!" Kairi said trying to lighten the mood.

"Yah. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm really tired. So, I think it's time to hit the hay."

"Kay." Kairi said, yawning at the reminder of her fatigue.

They turned off the lights and climbed into bed, Namine immediately falling into slumber. **I don't want to be a burden to Namine, but what happened to our plan. Why did it have to be ruined just because Roxas is in the picture?** Kairi thought. Roxas wasn't a bad guy, in fact he and Kairi were pretty good fiends. Still, Kairi felt left out. She sighed banishing her thoughts, and Kairi slowly drifted into a peaceful slumber.

&&&&&&&&&

Sora sweated heavily. Riku stole the ball from Demyx, and then made a quick pass to him. Sora took the ball and swam quickly toward the goal. Wakka blocked his path as Sora looked for an open person. No one. He thought quickly and shot the ball towards the goal. It rebound off the post, distracting Wakka just long enough for Sora to swim past him and catch the air-born ball. Now he had a clear shot, he swam closer and made an easy goal.

"What is that? 8 to 3? I say we spare them Sora, how bout a break?" Riku asked in a gloating manner.

"Agreed." They all said.

The Blitz ball team exited the sphere and toweled off. They all sat down on the benches and drank from assorted sports beverages. Sora sat by Roxas and Cloud as the three talked about various subjects.

"So Roxas, what's going on with you and Namine?" Sora asked sporting a suggestive expression.

"We have a date tonight." Roxas said nonchalantly.

"Oh you do, do you? And just what will you two be doing?" He said in a teasing tone. Roxas shoved him in the arm.

"Shut-up man. It's just a date!"

"Yah, yah. You kiddies just keep it G" Cloud added.

"Wow, I would have never seen that coming from you Cloud. You're usually so… quiet." Sora said.

"Hey, I have my moments." Cloud defended.

"Why don't you tease Cloud? He's going out with Aerith! How come you always pick on me?" Roxas whined.

"Because I am just cool like that." He said, as if it were completely obvious. Roxas pouted.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back, I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Sora said heading towards the house.

"Hey, tell us how it all comes out!" Roxas shouted and the two burst into a fit of laughter. **AN :)) Ew, my brothers say that all the time.**

"Morons." Sora mumbled.

"Hey Sora, c'mere" Axel called. Sora headed toward his teammate.

"Hey I need your help with something. You hate Kairi right?" Axel asked, grinning mischievously.

"Yah, Why?" Sora asked suspiciously.

"I've got a little plan. Kairi's gonna regret breaking up with me." He said maliciously.

Sora had a bad feeling about this. Sure he wasn't too fond of Kairi, but Axel was a pretty hard core guy, and he seemed really pissed. This didn't seem like something he wanted to get involved in. So he did what any guy would do in that situation.

"Uhhh, I gotta pee." He said pointing behind him and hastily walking away. He had escaped for now, but things like this had a habit of popping up again.

Sora returned fully relieved and headed back over to Roxas and Cloud.

"So what do you guys think of Kairi?"

"I don't know, she hangs out with Namine. She seems pretty cool to me." Roxas said.

"Yah, and she set me and Aerith up." Cloud added.

"Why are you wondering? You don't happen to have a thing for her do you?" Roxas asked suggestively.

"No! Ew no! I was just wondering." Sora said defensively. Then something hit him.

"Hey what time is it?" he asked nervously.

"11:55. Why?"

"Oh shit!! Ms.Yuna's gonna kill me!!" Sora said, pulling on a shirt and some shorts in a hurry. He grabbed his keys and ran to his car. He started it up and sped all the way to the school.

&&&&&&&&&&

Kairi gurgled something incoherent. The morning sun shone through the window, disturbing her slumber. She finally awoke and cursing at the sun grumpily. **I hope you run with Satan's dog's you evil sun!!** she thought, shaking her fist at the window. She looked to her side to see a note, it read: "down stairs". Kairi got ready for the day and then met Namine down stairs.

"Morning sleepy head." Namine said cheerfully.

Kairi grunted something about morning people and their evil ways as she grabbed some bacon.

"Where's your mom?" Kairi asked, still slightly brain-dead.

"She had an over night meeting thing." Namine said as she stuffed some toast in her mouth.

Kairi glanced at the clock. "10:30", it read. "Hey when's your date tonight?" she asked.

"8. We're going to a concert and then dinner. Do you wanna stay at my house tonight?"

"I dunno, maybe. I'll see, but don't try and bring Roxas home cuz it may turn out to be a threesome."

"Ew"

"Yah, so don't try it." Kairi said.

"Yah yah"

"So I'll see you later."

"Are you coming back after your audition??

"No, I've got a shift at the coffee shop."

"Oh, ok. Well I gotta go. I'm gonna go get a new outfit for my date so… I'll see you tonight, or not. Bye." Namine said, taking some toast for the road and heading out the door. Kairi merely waved her off and returned to her breakfast.

**AN :)) Ok, so that was pretty long. I was going to include the auditions, but then it would be MEGA long. So, I cut it short. Well read and review and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon! Thanks a bunch! Livvy**


	4. Slip

AN :)) Sorry I took so long to update! I had this ultra hard French project. O well. Anyways, thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers!!! You guys are mega awesome! So, in the spirit of keeping this short, time for the story!

Disclaimer: If I did, I obviously wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Symbols

**Thoughts**

_Flashbacks_

&&&&&&&&&& scene change

"slip"

"Is there anything you'd like to go over before you audition? We've got time, seeing as Mr. Hikari has yet to grace us with his presence." Yuna asked.

"No, I think I'm good." Kairi reassured her. She had, after all, been practicing all week.

"Well, I guess there's no point in wai- " Yuna began, but was cut off by Sora, running full-tilt, into the room.

"Well, speak of the devil." She finished.

"Emphasis on devil." Kairi mumbled.

"What was that?" Sora asked, his tone rising.

"Nothing." Kairi smirked.

"Well, since you're already ready, go on Kairi. You can go first." Yuna resolved.

Kairi walked to the center of the room and took a deep breath in preparation. The music began and notes and lyrics began to poor expertly from her mouth. Sora sat gaping at the Red-headed singer. She smiled in satisfaction as the song came to a close.

"Very good Kairi! You did an excellent job!" Yuna said clapping.

"Thank you Ms.Yuna" she said bowing politely.

"Alright Sora, you're up." Yuna called as she set up the stereo for the next song.

Kairi held in a laugh. This was gonna be good. She sat down in a chair and prepared for the worst singing she'd ever heard. However, it never came. Instead, Sora's strong and steady voice washed over her ears. **Wait a minute, he's… good? How is that even possible?** She thought, somewhat pouting, but part of her was enjoying the song. She would have to fix that. The song finished with both Yuna and Kairi gawking at the brunette. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. In that moment, with him standing there and looking humble and innocent, Kairi found him… cute.

"So, I take it I got the part huh?" He said with a cocky grin. **Well that didn't last long, but she had to admit, he was good.**

"We'll see." Yuna said scribbling notes onto a pad of paper. "You two can go now." She said dismissing them with a wave of her hand.

Kairi grabbed her purse and exited the room quickly. She wasn't in the mood to talk to Sora.

"So, what were you really doing at the coffee shop?" Sora asked, showing that fate was not on her side today.

"I told you already." Kairi said pressing onward, reaching her car in record time.

"That B.S.? That wasn't a real answer." He said, trying to get a reply before she got into her car.

"Well that's all you're gonna get." She said shutting her door to cut off the conversation. She sighed heavily as she put her keys into the ignition and drove off. She parked in a parking spot at the mall and headed into Destiny Café. She carefully tied her apron behind her back and approached the register.

"Hey Kai." Leon said approaching her.

"Oh, hey Leon, I didn't know you were working today." She said.

"Yah, I needed some extra cash, so I decided to put in some time. Besides, Cid isn't here on Saturdays; he said it was his 'family day'. "The two looked at each other, before bursting into laughter.

"Ahhh, good times, good times." He laughed,"Hey can you get this guy? I'm gonna go get more filters."

"Yah I got it." Kairi said, sighing off her laughter. "Welcome to Destiny Café. What can I get y- Oh my god, Seifer?!" Kairi said in disbelief.

"Hey Kairi" He said quietly.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in bewilderment.

"Do you have a minute?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure." She replied showing him to a table. She pulled out a chair and sat down, delicately folding her hands. She looked up to find him staring at the table. She decided this wouldn't go any where unless she made the first effort.

"I haven't seen you since the hospital." She said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I did a good job of getting out of there pretty fast didn't I?" he said shamefully. There was a moment of silence before Kairi posed the dreaded question:

"So why did you leave?"

"To be honest, I'm not completely sure myself. Just knew that I couldn't be there. I needed to get out; I couldn't stand being in my skin. So I went to the bank, took some cash from my parents, and left. It was after a month of running that I realized it wasn't working. So, I settled down in Hollow Bastion. I got a job and started working, but no matter what I did, I still saw Reno, trapped in that god forsaken car. He was screaming, but I couldn't do anything. I just sat there until it was quiet. Then I remembered what I did to you, and your mother. The guilt, I couldn't get away from it. It was all my fault. I killed him and your mother. I was a murderer. I remember wondering if he was cold, if he was alone and I couldn't live with it. I just wanted to die and join him; at least I'd be doing something worth while with my life.

Finally, someone convinced me to go to a psychologist. He helped me to make things ok. Not perfect, or even close, but just livable. So finally I got the balls to come here and talk to you. About time right?"

"Oh my gosh. How did you know I was here?"

"Well, let me tell you, this isn't the first café I've been to looking for you." He said with subtle humor. Not a complete answer to her question, but good enough.

"So, now what?" she asked, confused as to his intentions.

"I wanted to say, I'm sorry. I know that's not good enough and I know it won't bring her back, but I just… I…" Kairi reached across the table and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok." She said, he looked up and Kairi was surprised to see a tear making its way down his face. "Thank you." He said, a smile finally making its way onto his features.

"Well, I think that's enough emotion for one day." Kairi said laughing. It felt good to finally talk about it.

Seifer stood up and pushed his chair in, Kairi doing the same.

"Well, I'm gonna go." He said with his thumb pointing to the door. Kairi gave him a quick hug, before biding him goodbye for the last time. She stood there thinking for some time.** What if it was a relief for her? Was she happy to have escaped Jecht? But why this way? Why did she have to die to get away from him? I hope though, wherever she is, that she is happy. She deserves at least that much.** Kairi smiled a bittersweet smile, like one that follows the farewell of a friend. You aren't really happy, but you need to smile as a way of proving to yourself that there is hope.

She headed up to the counter, quickly filling Leon in as to what had happened, and found herself in yet another embrace.

&&&&&&&&&&

Sora lay on his bed, staring at his wall clock. 10:34, it read. He sighed and turned over, wincing as pressure was put upon his fresh bruise. What has his father been mad about again? He couldn't remember, not that it made a difference. He still would have been beaten to a pulp.

**I could leave right now. I could be in Twilight Town right now. But then I'd be giving up. I'd let him win. That'd hurt worse than his beatings. Besides, why give up this house. I have everything anyone could wish for. And all my friends are here. I don't have long till I'll be leaving anyway. Maybe if I play hard enough, he'll be proud of me. That's not likely. At least if I wait, he'll pay for me to get into college. Hopefully one that's far from here. The beatings aren't that bad, I'm strong, I'll show him.**

Then everything blurred, and Sora fell into a dreamless sleep.

**AN :)) Ok, I know that was kind of a short Sora segment, but I think it was necessary. Anyways, R&R as always, and I'll try to have the next chapter out ASAP. Thanks! Livvy**


	5. Falter

**AN:)) Well, so much for ASAP! Sorry, I've been having family issues, not to mention a mild case of writer's block. So, sorry it's late! Oh, yah and I know that Seifer was way OOC in the last chapter, but he went through a lot, and that can change a person. R&R and enjoy!**

Symbols

**Thoughts**

_Flashbacks_

&&&&&&&&&& scene change

"Falter"

School sucks.

Not that every living person on Earth doesn't already know this, but it's at times like this when it really hits you.

At first Kairi had thought 'oh sure, a school play, fun!', but no! Apparently not. For here she was, at costume fitting, looking at what she was doomed to wear. **(AN: yah I know it jumped really far, but I needed it to. So there. Lol)**

She lifted a few garments from a rack labeled with her name, that is, if you could call them garments. Really, they were just lingerie with sparkles that had somehow been deemed suitable for a school play. It was probably because the principal was a total pervert. He had affairs with many of the students and faculty, though surprisingly, no one had turned him in.

"Um, excuse me Ms. Yuna, but I think that my costume is missing some important details, namely half of the fabric!" She pointed out in clear disgust.

"Sorry Kairi, but that's what you'll be wearing."

"Is this a joke? Look at it! It's like a bathing suit with a corset!" she almost screamed.

"Well there is a robe that you'll be wearing over it… sometimes…" she pointed out optimistically. "Just try it on and get it over with." She said ushering her to a dressing room, all the way Kairi mumbling about the chances of her constantly wearing the robe.

Yuna sighed in relief as she settled the reluctant Kairi in a room. Today was going to be a long day.

"Hey Ms.Yuna, is this right? Why did guys have to wear suspenders back then anyway?" Sora complained as he approached the teacher.

"Attach it to the latch on the pants." She said with impatience. "Ohhhh. That's what that's for." He said attaching the two parts to each other.

"So where is this robe you were talking about?" Kairi asked as she poked her head out of the door.

"Come here first and let me make sure it fits right." Yuna ordered.

"Not in front of everyone!" Kairi whined. She had not failed to notice the presence of Sora lurking nearby.

"Stop fussing and come here!" Yuna said quickly loosing any bit of patience she had left. Why did it have to be like this every year?

"Yah Kairi, quit being a prick." Sora called out. Kairi glared at him. **Why me? What did I do to deserve this?!** Kairi finally groaned in defeat and exited her shelter.

"Whoa, you look—"**DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS.** "… weird." Sora finished lamely. Kairi grunted as she walked past him.

"Not bad." Yuna said as she assessed the outfit. "Actually, I don't think we'll have to do any alterations at all."

"I agree, I don't think there's anything we could do to make her look any uglier." A girl with short, raven hair spoke cruelly.

"Shut up, no one asked you Yuffie." Kairi glared at her co-star. The two were to play Roxie and Velma. Kairi was playing Velma, thus the scandalous outfit. Sora, with his impressive audition, actually landed the part of Billy Flynn, the lawyer. **(AN: If you've ever seen Chicago, you know who I mean.)**

Really the only upside to this production was that Kairi got to take her anger out on Yuffie in the play, as the two hated each other there as well.

"They didn't have to, everyone already knows." She snarled back hastily.

Kairi felt her blood boil in fury. She HATED that girl. She searched her head for a quick comeback, but nothing suitable came to mind. She could NOT let Yuffie win.

"Just like everyone knows what a fugly bitch you are." Kairi smiled a deadly smirk. Yes, that would do. She turned on her heel and went to go find that god forsaken robe.

Filing through her clothes rack, she still found nothing. She was feeling quite exposed and was well aware of the fact that the entire male population in that room was looking her over. That included Sora, who was staring at her legs, there was something wrong with them… and Sora was going to find out exactly what. He snuck up behind Kairi as she shuffled through articles of clothing.

"What happened to your leg?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

**Oh shit.** She had completely forgotten about that. How was she going to explain this one?

"Uhhh, um…I… don't …know?" she said, her response more like a question than an answer.

"Kairi, I know you hate me, but how STUPID do you think I am?"

"Ummm, very." Kairi said, trying to distract him with an insult. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"What happened?" he pressed on.

"I don't want to talk about it! Why do you care anyway?" Kairi asked, mostly trying to evade his questions, but also somewhat curious as to why he bothered.

"Why don't you want to talk about it?" Now he was REALLY curious.

**Shit, why didn't I just tell him I …I…I what? How could I do something like this to myself?**

"I just don't! Deal with it!" she shouted.

**Why doesn't she want to talk? Usually you can't shut her up. She couldn't have done that all by herself. Did someone else do it to her? What if she's like me?... No she's nothing like me, how could she be? She's always so happy and preppy. _But so are you,_** He countered himself. **_Doesn't it occur to you that it could all be an act?_ If it is an act, then what is she REALLY hiding? And more importantly, why the fuck do I care so much?!**

"Did someone do this to you on purpose?" he asked, trying to answer all the questions on his mind.

"NO!" she answered a bit too early and forcefully.

"Why are you lying? I can see right through you."

**Crap, crap, crap! How does he know when I'm lying? Why can't he just be like everyone else and not ask questions?!**

"Did your dad do this to you?" he asked, maybe she was like him…

**OH FUCK! How did he figure all of this out?! Was he spying on her or something?! That creep! **Kairi's eyes grew exceedingly wide; she had no idea what to say.

"Is it him? Is he hurting you?!" he interrogated fiercely.

"JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE SORA!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Now everyone's eyes were on them, and the principal was on his way. He grabbed them both gruffly by the wrists, and dragged them to his office. He had had enough of their constant bickering, and it was time to end it.

"Sit." He barked at them upon entering his office. "You two have been constantly fighting and causing disruptions in class and in the hall. If it you don't solve whatever problem you two have, you may end up suspended or even expelled. Both of your grades have been slipping, and so for mandatory extra credit, I'm assigning you both a 4 page report about each other. A positive one." He concluded.

**What? Why? I don't even know anything about him. And how does this relate to anything academic?** Kairi pouted in her head.

"But Mr.Yumatsu!" Kairi whined, trying to reason with him.

"No buts, do whatever you two must do to complete it. If not, I am sentencing you both to detention everyday for the rest of the year."

"EVERY DAY?! Isn't that a little extreme?" Sora pointed out.

"No, now go back to class, you two are excused." The principal swiveled on his chair to face away from them as the got up and left.

**I will figure out what she is hiding…**

**AN:)) Oooo, Sora's starting to figure things out! The next chapter will be somewhat lighter hopefully. Sorry again for the long update! I hope you all enjoyed! R&R as always+X+ Livvy +X+**


	6. Crash

**AN:)) Hey all! Once again, I am sorry for the long wait! I've had to attend 2 funerals (including one that took up all of spring break.). So I was a bit moody for a while because of my rather suckish break. So anyways, this chapter should have a good amount of fluff in it! Thank you all so much for bearing with me and being awesome reviewers! R&R please+X+ Livvy +X+**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Wii…darn it…**

Symbols

**Thoughts**

_**Conscience**_

_Flashbacks_

&&&&&&&&&& scene change

"Crash"

Kairi sulked as she crossed the courtyard at school. She had already told Namine of her predicament, who sympathized. She knew it was no use putting it off; she'd have to deal with the assignment sometime or face the consequences. So, she reasoned, why not just get it over with? Thus, Kairi walked with much hesitation, towards the boy she most dreaded.

Fortunately for her, he was alone right now. "Sora, we need to talk."

"What do you want?" She didn't exactly top his charts on who he wanted to talk to most right now.

"We need to get started on this stupid project so we can get it over with." Kairi said, trying to get the point across that she hated this just as much as he did.

"Fine, we'll go over to your house today and do it… the paper I mean." He said fumblingly.

"NO!... I mean uh we can't."

"Why?" He asked. Boy, this was turning into his new catch phrase.

"Because… we are having people spray for bugs and we can't go inside." She said, hoping he hadn't noticed her faulty excuse.

"Fine, my house then. You know the way?" he asked.

"Yah" she replied. He was always throwing huge parties at his house, and being the status that she was, Kairi was expected to be at every one.

"5 ok?" She asked.

"Sure." That gave him plenty of time to mourn over his impending doom. With that done, Kairi headed to her next class, which lucky for her, did not have Sora in it.

&&&&&&&&&&&

It was 5 o'clock, Kairi would be there any minute. As if on cue, the doorbell rang loudly, interrupting Sora's video game. **Speak of the devil… Literally.**

Sora opened the door to let in Kairi, dressed in the usual. The only thing that had changed was that she now wore shorts instead of pants. It had been becoming increasingly warm the past few weeks as summer crept up on them. He took a moment to eye her long legs, then immediately scolded himself for thinking of her like that again. This was becoming a bad habit.

They entered his living room where Sora had paused his game. Kairi glanced at it, then did a double-take, her eyes going wide.

"Is that a …Wii?" She asked in amazement.

"Yah…"

"Oh my gosh! Can I play?!" She asked giving him the cutest expression she could muster. Sora had to turn away from her, she looked too adorable. Kairi noticed this and rushed around to him other side to continue her pleading.

"Please please please please please?!!!!" she begged, tugging at his shirt like a three-year-old.

"No, don't you have one?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"No! I mean… I'm getting it customized, so it hasn't arrived yet! Please!" She pleaded once more, her eyes sparkling brightly. Sora couldn't take it anymore.

"Fine, fine! Just stop making that face!" He whined as Kairi smiled triumphantly, now she knew how to manipulate him.

She grabbed the controller and put in a battle game. Sora sat and watched as she systematically destroyed all of her opponents. She had been playing Namine's for quite a while now, and had gotten quite good with the controls. **Who knew Kairi kicked ass at video games?** She squealed in triumph as she beat the top score and started to do a victory dance.

"Ha ha! I win!" she smiled at Sora in a "na-na-na-boo-boo" fashion. It was on.

"Alright, that's it. Switch it to two player." Sora said with resolve. He was determined to win back his high score.

He picked up the second controller as Kairi selected the characters. Thus, the game began. Sora had taken the lead by doing a series of high kicks.

"Ha ha! What was that about beating my high score?" he said boastfully, but Kairi refused to back down. She unleashed a barrage of combos, sending Sora's player to an early, animated, death.

"Yay!" She jumped up and down in success as Sora groaned in defeat. He turned off the gaming system and Kairi whined.

"Aw, you sore looser!" She had wanted to keep playing. "You're just mad because you got your ass kicked by a girl. You should be used to it by now though." She laughed, however she quickly stopped as she saw Sora near her with a deadly expression.

"Sora… What are you doing…?" She asked in a mixture of confusion and slight fear. Then he lunged at her and began tickling her sides.

"Ah! Sora stop it!" she screamed crippling to the floor as the tickle attack continued. She tried to kick at him, succeeding once, but he then sat down on her legs to restrain her. Sweet revenge was his. She tried to pry away his hands, but he grabbed her wrists in one hand and pinned them above her head. Now she was defenseless. All she could do was squirm under him powerless to stop the attack. Her abs ached from laughing so hard and her breathing became ragged.

"Ow, Sora stop." She whined tiredly once more. Victory was his. However, as his grip on her hands loosened, Kairi quickly whisked them away, attempting to exert revenge on him. This only succeeded in making him loose his balance and fall right on top of her.

If you didn't know Sora and Kairi at that moment, you would have thought that they were lovers of some kind. For there they were, in what was most likely the most awkward position ever imagined. Sora lay on top of Kairi, propped up only by his hands on both sides of her, and her hands on his chest. Their legs were tangled together, and their faces mere inches from each other's.

Kairi was blushing so fiercely that her skin had acquired the same color of her hair, and Sora's was matching, if not worse. Kairi was very aware of how close they were, very aware of his hot breath on her face, and very aware of how the distance between them seemed to be closing further, if possible. What on earth was he doing? What frustrated her even more was why she wasn't stopping him. **_Maybe because you want him to kiss you._** But how was that even possible?

But then, just as suddenly as the space had started closing, it seemed to grow again. Part of Kairi's mind was screaming **_No!_** And the other was wondering why.

**What. The. Hell? Did I just try to kiss Kairi?? Kairi as in the one whom I hate?? What am I thinking?! _Don't you think that attempt at kissing Kairi made it pretty clear what you were thinking?_ Ok, ok, I'll just play it cool.**

"Uhhh, m-maybe we should start on that project." He stuttered. **_Oh yah, real smooth._**

"Yah." Kairi agreed, taking the hand Sora had offered her, and blushing all the way. **Since when is he helping me up? And since when am I blushing?_ Uh, did you just miss that whole "You-and-Sora-almost-made-out" thing? _We did not almost make-out!_ Yah, but you wanted to._ No I did-gah! Stop thinking! _See._** Curse those bloody consciences! What was happening to them?

After many awkward glances, and a regaining of their composures, they both made their way up to Sora's room. He immediately flopped down onto his bed, while Kairi sat down and leaned against the wall opposite him.

"So… What now?" He asked trying to stop this awkward silence.

"Ummm, do you have any paper?" He nodded and picked some off his desk, handing Kairi a piece, and then resuming his position.

"Ok, so tell me some stuff about yourself." She said, grabbing a pen from her purse.

"Like what?"

"Like, what's your favorite color?"

"What's my favorite color? What kind of question is that?"

"Well then you come up with something jackass!" she exclaimed in annoyance.

"My favorite color is indigo."

"Indigo huh?" Not quite what she had expected.

"Yah, got a problem with it?" he grunted.

"Nope, I love indigo." She said as she scribbled it down.

"You?"

"Red" she replied, "Where were you born?"

"Here in good old Destiny Islands." He said in slight sarcasm, "And you?"

"Radiant Gardens" she replied.

And so the exchange continued until both of their papers were filled with scribbled writing. It was odd, hearing all those facts about Sora made him seem almost human. Maybe if they didn't hate each other they could be friends. Which brought the question to mind: Why did they hate each other?

"You coming to the party tomorrow?" he asked.

"Is my name Kairi?" she asked in return.

"Alright, alright. Don't be a smart ass." Once again, Sora was throwing another of his infamous parties. Activities included dancing, swimming, and the ever present fact that someone would be spiking the punch.

Kairi took out her phone and almost choked. **Crap! I'm gonna be late to work!**

"Well, as much as I would love to stick around…" she said with sarcasm, "I have places to go and people to see. So bye." She finished, making a quick exit so as not to be too late to work. Sora sighed heavily, that wasn't so bad.

AN:)) Yay! There it is! I had to strangle myself to keep from putting the party in this chapter, but now you have something to look forward to in the next chapter! I already have it written, so please review so I can get it out sooner! There will be lots of fluff! Sorry again for the delay! Now press that little purple button and brighten up somebody's day (namely mine). +X+ Livvy +X+


	7. Fumble

AN:)) Hey peeps! Ok, I was in a complete rush to get this out,(my family and I are going on vacation for a few days) and I didn't want to have it out that late. So, hopefully I can start the next chapter on vacation, but no promises. This chapter should be another somewhat light one with lots of fluff (I'm in that kind of mood I guess.) We're getting pretty deep into the story! I'm so excited! Of course thank you to all who have reviewed! You have made this a very good first story! Please keep it up, because you guys are awesome! So I'll stop blabbing and get on with it.

Symbols

**Thoughts**

_**Conscience**_

_Flashbacks_

&&&&&&&&&& scene change

"Fumble"

The air was hot and sticky and heavy dance beats pulsed through it. Various teens were clumped together drinking or dancing. Some were upstairs, but we'll not talk about that. Yes, this was a Sora Hikari party, and it had just begun.

Kairi and Namine approached the door somewhat hesitantly. They gave each other consoling glances, before Kairi thought optimistically:

"At least there's a pool right?"

They both sighed and opened the door, and there for their viewing pleasure, was a couple already making-out against the wall. Kairi made a disgusted face before entering further into the house. When they reached the living room they were greeted by a friendly face. There was Roxas, sitting on the couch talking to a girl and looking a tad uncomfortable.

He saw them approaching and flashed them a desperate glance. Kairi whispered to Namine, who blushed, but shrugged in agreement. She walked over in his direction and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Roxas! There you are! There are so many people here it was hard to even find my boyfriend!" she emphasized, taking a seat on his lap. The girl sitting next to Roxas took the hint and left. Kairi started laughing at seeing the two blushing. They were so shy!

Namine got up and took a seat by Roxas as Kairi came to join them. They talked for a bit, before Kairi got the urge to swim.

"Hey guys, you up for a swim?" she asked.

"I'm not, but you two can go if you want." Namine replied, looking a bit down. She didn't want to be alone.

"I think we'll stay here this time." Roxas said seeing Namine's sad expression. She smiled in appreciation. **This is just what those two love birds need. I think I'll leave them alone.** Kairi thought to herself.

"Alright. Well, I'll be there if you need me. You two don't get too cozy. And remember, "No glove, no love"." She said, satisfied by their expressions that she had embarrassed them enough for the night. And with that, she left for the pool.

&&&&&&&&&

Upon entering the indoor pool, Kairi peeled of her clothes to reveal her black bikini. She saw Selphie near the edge of the pool, and waved as she approached her.

"Hey Selph. What's up?" she asked her hyper friend.

"Nothing much. Hey have you seen Sora? I pushed him in the pool a while ago, but I lost track of him. I think he might be out for revenge." She said in a fake afraid voice. The two girls laughed.

"What a lame-o". Then, out of nowhere, Sora appeared and pushed Selphie in so fast that she didn't even have a chance to scream.

"Ha ha. Who's a lame-o now?" he said triumphantly.

"Sora! You jerk, I had my mouth open!" she said in an annoyed tone.

"When don't you have it open?" He asked in sarcasm. Kairi ignored the truth to that statement, as she decided to get even for Selphie. Without warning, Kairi lunged at Sora. He unfortunately, grabbed her by the waist to bring her down with him. Within a second they were both underwater, Sora still holding onto her by the waist. For some reason, he felt reluctant to let go. He liked the feeling of her skin against his.

When he finally did release her, they both swam to the top. Selphie was there laughing her ass off.

"Ha ha! Sora you should have seen the look on your face! It was priceless!" she said between bouts of giggles. She high-fived Kairi, who stuck her tongue out childishly.

"Oh I see! It's two against one. Well, I don't know how fair that'll be to you two, but ok." He said confidently as he approached the two, who squealed and tried to run away, but being in water, made little progress. He quickly caught up to them and grabbed both by the stomach, one in each arm.

Their screams were mixed with laughs, as he spun them around like they were nothing. Then he dropped them back in the water. Kairi jumped up and began to splash vigorously at him. Selphie took the hint and splashed from the other side. He was cornered. He lunged blindly at them, getting nothing but water in return. Finally, he managed to tackle Kairi, and take her down with him.

She managed to open her eyes underwater, despite the slight sting of the chlorine. However, when she did, she noticed a pair of stunning cobalt ones not to far from hers. Sora was once again gripping her around the waist, secretly enjoying having her this close again. Kairi felt her face heat up, despite the cool temperature of the pool. She would never admit it to anyone, but she didn't mind his close proximity. It was the first time in what seemed like forever that she had actually felt…safe.

For a moment, time stopped. Once again the question came to mind: why did they hate each other? It was times like these when it occurred to Kairi that maybe if things had been different, they could have been friends. Perhaps even more… Her thoughts were interrupted though when she started to loose oxygen. How long had they been down here?

Kairi kicked to the surface, Sora following suit. Selphie greeted them from the surface.

"Wow, you guys were down there for a while. It looked like you were having a stare-down." She commented. Then she caught Kairi's eyes and mouthed a last devious attack. Kairi nodded and the two slipped underwater.

"Hey Selph…Selphie? Kairi? Where—whoa!" he exclaimed as he was tugged underwater by the ankles. Kairi and Selphie surfaced and started laughing. Then realizing he would most likely get back at them if they stayed, they quickly climbed out of the pool, laughing at him as he surfaced with a confused expression.

"Hey! No fair!" he pouted. They giggled.

"Who said life was fair? Besides I'm cold!" Kairi complained. It was no wonder; after all she was only wearing a bikini. Sora pretended not to notice this, though he couldn't help but admire Kairi's slim physique once again.

"Come on Kai! To the hot tub!" Selphie said, for she too was shivering.

"Right behind you!" Kairi exclaimed as she followed after her sugar-loving friend.

The two got settled in the hot tub and Sora decided to join them. After all, 2 hot girls+1 hot guy+ a hot tub what could possibly go wrong? (Wow, that was a lot of hots)

"Hey scoot over" he commanded.

"No, too comfy." Kairi sighed.

"I'll sit on you."

"Go fly a kite, we're busy here" she replied, sinking lower into the hot water. All was quite for a moment and then…

"Ah! Sora! Get off!" Kairi exclaimed. Why did he always have to pick on her?

"I told you I would sit on you."

"You're squishing me! Selphie help!" Kairi cried, but Selphie was too relaxed, or she just had a cruel sense of humor…

"Hm, I feel a nap coming on…" Sora said in a tranquil voice.

"No! Sora! Get off!" She whined, trying to push him off her. This was not working.

"Will you move over if I get off?" he taunted.

"Yes! Just get off! I can't feel my legs anymore!"

Sora stood up, and Kairi moved over, a pout on her face. Then she noticed Selphie hadn't said anything in a while. She looked over to see her brown-haired friend completely relaxed and calm.

"Wow, I've never seen Selphie so calm…" Sora said as if reading her mind. Then just as suddenly as she had fallen quiet, Selphie perked up, startling both of them,

"Hey guys! What'd I miss?"

"Well that didn't last long."

"I'm thirsty! Kai Kai, come with me to get a drink!" Selphie said, pulling the redhead up with her. Kairi groaned in frustration. She had just gotten comfortable!

"Sora you want something?" Selphie asked.

"Yah, can you grab me some punch?" he asked, not really paying attention. **Man these things are relaxing!**

Selphie nodded and then continued to pull Kairi towards the kitchen. She filled three cups full of punch and handed one to Kairi.

"Hey Selph, I'm gonna go check on Namine really quick, I'll meet you back there k?"

"K!" Selphie agreed as she skipped off.

Kairi navigated back towards the living room, only to find Roxas and Namine in the exact same place. There was only one difference… they were kissing!

"Whoa!" she accidentally exclaimed. The two instantly broke apart and started blushing bright red.

"Well, well, well. And here I thought you two had been talking all this time. Well it's about time you to hooked up!" Kairi smirked, "I guess I'll let you two finish what you were doing." She laughed and took a sip of her punch as she walked away. **Wow, this stuff is strong! Whoever spiked it wasn't kidding around.** However, after a few sips she got used to it and it didn't taste too bad.

Kairi chugged the last of the substance and filled up her cup again. When she got back to the hot tub, she noticed someone was missing.

"Hey where's the jerk face?" she asked as she climbed in, taking advantage of the amount of space she now had.

"Oh, you'll see." Selphie replied mysteriously. Moments later, Sora came out of the man room looking mightily embarrassed, Riku followed him.

"Sora, I'm sorry, but I don't like you that way." Riku said before turning back into the house.

Selphie busted out laughing as he took a seat in the tub. Suddenly Kairi had the feeling she had missed something.

"Uhhh what just happened?" she asked.

Somehow Selphie managed to stop laughing long enough to say: "I dared Sora to ask Riku out on a date!" she said and began to cackle again.

"And you did it?" Kairi asked arching a brow.

"Sora's head hung low.

"Oh my gosh! That's frickin hilarious!!" she said as she joined Selphie in cackling.

"Alright, alright. You had your fun, but now it's my turn!" Selphie had a nervous expression.

"You have to…make-out with that guy!" Sora pointed to a random guy who seemed to be having a conversation with himself. How did these people get into this party?

"Ew! I don't even know him!" she exclaimed in utter distaste.

"Too bad."

Selphie looked to Kairi, who shrugged; "I'm not in this game." and received a glare from Selphie in return.

"Some friend you are." She pouted, but then slowly got out of the tub and walked up to the guy. Two seconds later, she was making out with him, a clear expression of disgust on her face. She pulled away, smacked him, and then returned to her two companions.

"Ha ha! Selphie! That was nasty!" Kairi laughed.

"I didn't think she'd do it." Sora added.

"Ha ha ha. I forgot to laugh." She pouted.

"That's alright, I thing we've got it covered." Kairi said settling down from her giggle-fest, though every now and then one would sneak out.

"Yah, well, it's my turn again! And Sora you have to make-out with…Kairi."

Immediately the laughter ceased. Kairi nearly choked on her sip of punch.

"WHAT?!!" she exclaimed, "I'm not even in this game!" she protested.

"Neither was that random guy, but now he thinks I'm his girlfriend! Sora you know the rules. Either take the dare, or you streak for the rest of the night." She said.

Kairi glared at him as if to say, "Boy, you better drop them pants!"

Sora was caught between a rock and a hard place. Kissing Kairi would be over in a minute tops, streaking would be until the last person left.

"Kairi…." He pleaded at her. She knew where this was going. He put on his best puppy dog face and stared at her until she couldn't take it anymore. "Fine! Fine! But this better be quick!" she gave in. Selphie wagged her finger back and forth, "Ah, ah, ah. It's gotta be a full…,"she looked at a clock on the wall, "One minute long"

Kairi nearly fainted. "No way!" she exclaimed.

"Alright Sora you know the deal…" Selphie taunted.

Sora, completely panic stricken turned to Kairi who was facing away pouting.

"I'm sorry Kairi." He said quickly before pulling Kairi close to him and pressing his lips to her's. Kairi's eyes grew large in complete shock. **Is he…KISSING ME! That jerk! I said no and—and**, but all thoughts were lost to Kairi. Her mind went blank, and again she was in that place where she felt safe. Then, for some strange reason, her eyes drifted closed, and she kissed him back.

Sora almost pulled away in shock. She was kissing him?! And …he liked it. Auto drive kicked in and Sora had his hands at her waist once more and her's rose around his shoulders. He pulled her closer so that their bodies pressed together.

Faintly Kairi heard Selphie's voice saying something. "Guys, your minute's up". This brought Kairi back into reality, as she pushed away from him. Both wore expressions of complete shock. Shock turned to rage, as Kairi's face went red.

SMACK!

"YOU PERVERTED ASSHOLE!! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME LIKE THAT!!!" she screamed as she withdrew her hand. She quickly got up, grabbed her clothes and left the room. Sora, still somewhat dazed, got up and ran after her.

"Kairi! Kairi wait up! Come on!" He yelled as he caught up with her and spun her about by the wrist, but he wasn't prepared to see the tears in her eyes.

"I will tell you one more time Sora Hikari, stay away from me!" she said in a deadly monotone. Then just like that, she was gone.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Luckily this time when she found Namine and Roxas, they weren't… otherwise engaged. Namine followed Kairi, waving goodbye to Roxas with the promise to call him when things got settled.

In the car, Kairi refused to say a word, instead agreeing that they would talk when they got to Namine's house. The girls got ready for bed, then collapsed on Namine's bed.

"Ready to talk?" Namine asked with concern. Kairi was quiet for a moment, and Namine thought that maybe she hadn't heard her. But then a sigh erupted from Kairi's throat, signaling the beginning of a long story.

"So you know Sora and I hate each other."

"Kairi, everyone on planet Earth knows that." She pointed out.

"Just not me. Well, not anymore at least…" Kairi said. Namine looked confused.

"Let me explain. See, tonight, Selphie decided to play a stupid dare game with Sora. I wasn't in on it because, well, I had just seen you and Roxas…you know." Kairi said, cracking a slight grim at the sight of Namine blushing again. "You know you'll have to give full details right?" Namine nodded in confirmation, then prompted Kairi to continue.

"So I get back, and Selphie, for some reason, decides to dare Sora to kiss me… for a full minute."

"He didn't…. did he?"

Kairi nodded. "I said no, but…" she trailed off as she remembered it briefly, then blushed at the thought. This did not go unnoticed by Namine though.

"Did you like it?"

"NO!" Kairi immediately responded. "Well, I don't know…Everything's so confusing now." She sighed in frustration.

"Kai, do you think you like Sora?" Namine asked.

"I don't know. I don't hate him like I used to. He makes me feel safe…but that's not the same thing."

"Is it? I think it's a big part of it. You have to be able to trust the person you're with."

"Well, that's just the thing! How can I trust him if he's just gonna go around kissing me without permission? Love sucks."

"Oh, so now you're in love…" Namine teased.

"NAMINE! It's an expression!! I'm not in love!" Kairi protested.

"Suuure." Namine responded, getting a pillow in the face in return.

After their momentary pillow fight, Namine turned out the lights with the promise of telling Kairi about what happened with Roxas tomorrow. "Night Kai" "Night Nam."

Kairi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. **Is this how Sora's feeling? No. He probably doesn't even care. I wish I had what Namine and Roxas have. I can't believe I'm jealous of my best friend, but I guess I can't help it. God, I need to sleep!** Kairi thought. She put a pillow over her head to try and block out her thoughts, still is was a few hours later that she finally fell asleep.

**AN:)) I don't know. This isn't my best chapter, but I liked the fluff so there! I don't know when I'll have the next chapter out, hopefully soon, but I have Finals part 1 next week. So please review and tell me what you think! I'll take anything! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! Until next chapter… +X+ Livvy +X+**


	8. Falling

**AN :)) Hey everyone! First, I'm sorry for the long wait again. I had some writer's block (icky) so it took me a bit longer to get this one out. I hope it doesn't suck. Second, you guys are amazing! I did not expect to get that many reviews!! Cookies for everyone!!! So now everything is unraveling! I'm excited! Please keep up the awesome reviewing and I hope you enjoy +X+ Livvy +X+**

Symbols

**Thoughts**

_**Conscience**_

_Flashbacks/ dream sequence_

&&&&&&&&&& scene change

"Falling"

_Kairi inhaled the smell of damp seawater and earth. She sat up to see she was in a cave, dark except for a few holes in the top through which rays of light leaked. She slowly got up and walked along the cavern, something pulling her on. _

_At first, nothing seemed abnormal about this cave, but upon further inspection, she found numerous drawings adorning all of the walls. Some looked like meaningless squiggles, while others told stories. As she walked on, one in particular caught her eye._

_There was a picture of Sora, drawn skillfully to resemble him in his youth. Then, facing him, was one of Kairi. This one had shaky lines and stray marks, yet somehow seemed equally beautiful to her. A hand extended from the portrait of Sora, holding in its hand a small, star-shaped fruit. __**A papou fruit?**_

_Sure enough, clasped in the hand of the picture, was the legendary fruit. It was said that when two people shared one, their destinies would be intertwined forever. A wave of emotion caught her by surprise and sent a broad smile to her face. Without really realizing it, she picked up a rock and began to draw another addition to the picture. _

_Sitting back on her heals, she admired her work. Now there was a matching hand coming from the portrait of Kairi, extending to Sora's and holding another papou. She smiled and ran her hand over the drawing._

_Then suddenly, there was a creaking noise. Kairi spun around to her left and found an old looking wooden door. It swung back and forth on its noisy hinges. _

_**What on Earth?**_

_She stood up to examine it closely. Inside was pitch black. She stuck her foot inside, but felt no ground. Then, an unknown source of wind knocked her off balance and sent her tumbling through the door, falling for what seemed like forever._

_When she finally landed, she was in what looked like a city. However, there was no one there. She got to her feet, brushing of what ever dust might be on her clothes. She wandered on aimlessly, looking for any sign of life._

"_Kairi!" She turned to see Sora running towards her. He stopped in front of her and stared at her in wonder._

"_Is it really you?" he asked. Now she was __really__ confused. What was he talking about? And where were they?_

"_I'm pretty sure it's me... Where are we?" she asked timidly._

"_You…don't know?" he asked, now it was his turn to be confused. She shook her head._

"_We're in Kingdom Hearts." he said as he extended a finger in the air, pointing to something. There in the sky, where you may expect to see a moon was a giant glowing heart. It cast a light, faintly illuminating the city streets._

"_I haven't seen you in 3 years…Don't you remember?" he asked grasping her gently by the shoulders. She shook her head._

"_Not…anything? Not even the secret place?" he asked, hoping that maybe she had seen his silent confession. She still looked blank. "In the cave…" he added, slowly loosing faith._

"_The cave? The one with all the drawings?" She asked. His eyes brightened and he nodded. _

"_There was a picture of you and me and…" she trailed off as her cheeks tinged in pink, as did Sora's. _

"_So you…I…we…" Kairi tried desperately to form a sentence. He grinned.__** She's so cute when she's all flustered.**__ Then his grip on her arms gently tightened as he brought her closer. Her eyes instinctively closed as did the space between their faces. Barely, she had felt his lips brush hers before they heard a sudden crashing noise and broke away. _

"_Wha-what? What's going on? Sora?" she stuttered as she looked about for him. However, a dense cloud of dust and debris had formed from the crash, making it impossible to see anything. She felt around blindly, trying desperately to find something…anything. _

_Then, something grabbed her arm causing her to scream. _

"_AH! Sora!" she shouted, trying to break the grasp that held her wrists tightly._

"_Shhhh! Kairi, it's me!" Sora whispered._

"_Sora? What happened?" Kairi asked, squinting and trying to focus on him._

"_We were ambushed by heartless." He answered._

"_Heartless? Where are they?" She questioned. She wasn't sure of what they were, but she knew they weren't anything good. _

"_I don't know, but we'd better get moving fast." He said as he steered her through the dust. _

_Suddenly, a heartless jumped in front of their path. "Just one? Has Maleficent gone soft?" Sora said cockily. Then 9 more heartless came out of nowhere._

"_Ok, I take it back." He added, this time sounding a bit worried. "Just stay behind me Kairi." He instructed. She nodded, even though his back was turned. The heartless charged forward, getting sliced almost instantly by Sora's key blade. But the more that he killed, the more that came. They started closing in on all sides._

"_Sora…" Kairi whimpered. They were growing close to her. Sora spun about to knock away the impeding heartless, but one broke his defenses, sending him back a few feet. _

"_Sora!" Kairi started to run to his aid, but was grabbed from behind. Two heartless held her in place while the third reached forward for her heart…_

"_SORA!" she screamed._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kairi shot up in bed. Sweat ran down her forehead and she panted heavily. **What. The. Hell. **She looked over too see if she had woken Namine. There she lay, still sound asleep. **Man, she can sleep through anything!** She rolled over to her other side to look at the clock. **Holy shit! 3 pm?!! I have to get to work!** She thought as she jumped out of bed. **Namie will just have to tell me about her little fling with Roxas tonight…**

She threw on her clothes from last night. **Ok, just a quick stop at home, and then on to work…** She staggered as she put on her shoes, and then ran down the stairs. She had almost left when she realized she hadn't left a note.

She grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a quick note on the paper:

_Namie, went home then to work. Be back at 7. --XOXO Kairi_

She smiled, pleased with her work. She added her address at the bottom out of habit. **This long and she still doesn't know where I live…** She chuckled to herself at her forgetful friend, then realized she was losing time, set the note on the table by the door, and ran out of the house.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kairi quietly pried the door open to her house. **So far, so good.**

She entered in to find her father asleep on the couch. **Phew.** She mentally sighed and snuck into her room. She quickly changed and headed back to the door. She had just opened it when…

"Hey! Where do you think you're going, you little slut?!" Her father boomed. **Shit.**

"To work. Isn't that where you want me?" She spat back, then immediately regretted it.

"You ungrateful little shit! You don't come home, then think you can just walk around like you own the place?!"

"I basically do. It's my money that pays all the bills." She snapped. Bad move.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sora had been up all night tossing and turning. He stared at the clock in front of him. It flashed 2:45 in annoying bright red numbers. **I feel like shit. **_**That's because you were a total jerk.**_** No way! Kairi is just too sensitive. **_**You forcefully made-out with her.**_** She kissed back! How is it my fault? **_**Were you the one who ran out crying?**_** Good point.**

"Urgh! I can't take this! I'll just go apologize!" he exclaimed to no one. He got up out of bed and got dressed. Then he ran downstairs and out to his car. He knew the way to Kairi's house by heart. He pulled up outside of the big mansion, and walked to the door. He knocked on it three times, then waited…

Three more knocks, more waiting. **Urgh! Why won't she answer?!**_** Duh, she doesn't like you.**_

"Kairi!" he shouted, feeling quite stupid. No one could hear him. He tried the knob and was surprised to find it open. He slipped inside of the house, feeling quite intrusive for obvious reasons, but this was important.

"Hello?" He called out. No answer. He looked around and then saw a small note on the table by the door. He read it out loud:

"Namie, went home, then to work. Be back at 7. From Kairi. Wait a minute… home?" he wondered out loud. He checked the address that was scribbled at the bottom. **What the hell? This isn't Kairi's house? Then… where does she live?** He tore the address off of the note and went back out to his car and sped off towards the location on the paper.

After a bit of driving, Sora ended up in a shabby neighborhood. **This can't possibly…** he trailed off as he spotted the address on the sheet. He pulled off to the side of the road and walked towards the broken-down building. As he drew closer, he heard shouting and loud curses.

"…. Isn't that where you want me?" said a voice that sounded like Kairi's. Sora snuck around to a window and peeked in. There was a large man that looked a lot like Kairi. **Kairi's dad? ...** He was shouting angrily at her and looked like he was about to tare her apart.

"You ungrateful little shit! You don't come home, then think you can just walk around like you own the place?!" He heard the man shout. Sora didn't like the looks of this.

"I basically do. It's my money that pays all the bills." Kairi shouted back. Then her father looked livid. He grabbed a lamp sitting close by and threw it towards her. It hit her square in the stomach and she crumpled to the floor in pain, tears leaking from her eyes. **OH MY GOD KAIRI!** Sora thought in panic. He scrambled to the door.

He entered just in time to see Kairi's father approach her with what looked like a vase.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted, distracting the man and causing him to miss Kairi's head. However, it shattered and shards of ceramics sliced at her arms and face.

"HOW DARE YOU TRESPASS ON MY PROPERTY!" The man bellowed. **Shit.**

Sora scrambled for the lamp that Kairi's father had previously thrown and held it up in defense.

"Kairi! Are you ok?!" Sora shouted frantically to her. She moaned loudly. She was in bad shape.** I have to get her out of here!** He thought. Kairi's father approached him with a deadly scowl and another lamp in hand.

He flung it down towards Sora, who blocked it with his own. The man pressed down hard on his lamp, attempting to over power Sora, but he withdrew, and Jecht stumbled forward, knocked off balance. Sora took this opportunity to deal a sharp blow to the back of the man's head, knocking him out cold on the floor.

Sora spun around to face Kairi. She looked bad. She had bruises all over and cuts, some with pieces of ceramic still intact. He cringed and knelt down.

"Kairi, are you ok?" **Of course not idiot.** Her eyes were drawn tightly together and her breathing was irregular. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach where the lamp had made contact.

He peeled them back gently, then carefully lifted her shirt just enough to see a large black bruise forming, stretching across her entire front and about 4 inches tall. Kairi hiccupped quietly, this in turn hurting her and causing her to cry more.

"Do you think you can walk?" he asked, receiving a shake from her head in return. Sora heard a quiet groan immerge from Jecht, a signal of his coming to.

"Ok, Kairi. I'm going to pick you up. This'll hurt a bit, but I have to get you out of here now." Kairi nodded weakly.

Sora delicately wrapped his arms behind her shoulders and under her knees, and slowly lifted her up. He heard her whimper, but he had to keep going. She wrapped her arms around his neck for support as he pressed on through the house and outside.

Gently, he laid her down in the backseat, then closed the door and ran around to his side. He quickly started the car and sped off to his house. Thank god his father wasn't home.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

When they got to his house, Sora carried Kairi inside and laid her on a couch. **Right. Now what? ... I've got to clean her up first I guess.** Running around in a haze, he retrieved some old towels, some water, antibiotics, and band-aids.

"Kai? Are you still awake?" he asked quietly. She nodded slightly.

"I'm just gonna clean up your cuts, ok?" Another nod.

First he tended to her cuts. He pulled out the last few pieces of pottery that had managed to stay lodged in her skin, and then rinsed them all with water, but not without a few winces from Kairi. There wasn't much he could do for the bruise except put some ice on it. He got a big bag of it and had Kairi hold it to her stomach. Then he put some antibiotics on her cuts.

He noticed her breathing slow down as he rubbed antibiotic on the last cut on her face. She was asleep. He smiled as he stared down at her sleeping features. He placed a gentle hand on the side of her face. For a while he just watched her, then he grabbed a pillow and lay down on the floor to sleep.

**AN :)) I thought about going on, but I liked it ending on that note. Aw, they are so sweet! Now make me happy and click that pretty little purple button +X+Livvy+X+**


	9. Crawl

**AN :)) Hey peeps! I'm back! Sorry for the LONG wait!! First of all, thanks for all of the awesome reviews!! Especially kingdomfantasyanime453** **and KHKairiNamineFanatic, my most loyal reviewers...****YOU ROCK! (Throws out cookies in a slightly sugar-high freenzy) Wohoo! **

**Ok, so last chapter had a very long dream sequence in the beginning, but I wanted to put a little tweaked snip from the game in there. Nothing's going to change though, it's still an AU. So yah, that's all the news here. R&R please+X+Livvy+X+ **

Symbols

**Thoughts**

_**Conscience**_

_Flashbacks/ dream sequence_

&&&&&&&&&& scene change

"Crawl"

Kairi's eyes fluttered open to be greeted by sun pouring through the windows. She attempted to sit up and stretch, but was stopped by a sudden sharp pain in her stomach. She flopped back down on the couch, taking in her new surroundings. **Where the hell am I?** **Am I at Sora's?** Her question was answered when she looked down to see the snoozing brunette knocked out on the floor.

She giggled quietly at the sight, then promptly stopping upon feeling that same pain in her abdomen.

"Ow! God that hurts!" she cursed rather loudly. This in turn, woke the sleeping boy with a start.

"Ah! Dancing midgets steal my soul!" he shouted in shock. This time, Kairi couldn't hold back the laughter, as she burst into giggles, ignoring the pain. Sora shook his head to wake himself fully. He grinned at seeing the redhead so perky, especially with the ordeal that had happened…**wait a minute…what time is it?** He glanced at his pocketed cell phone: 7:32. **Wow, we were out for a while.**

"What time is it?" Kairi asked, having recovered from her fits of laughter.

"Bout' 7:30" he answered.

"Wow, I've never slept that long before." She said quietly. They both knew why.

"Do you want to talk?" he asked sadly.

"Is there anything you haven't figured out? Obviously you know where I really live and about my dad. What else is there?"

"How about, why haven't you told anyone?" he fixed her with a stern gaze, pushing the guilt away of being a hypocrite.

"I told Namine." He gave her a look.

"I don't know," she continued, "I just… I'm scared you know? If he could do this to me now, just think of what he'd do if I told someone."

"I know exactly what you mean." He mumbled to himself.

"How so?" Kairi asked. His eyes grew wide. **Was I that loud?**

"I just mean, you're not alone you know? There are lots of kids out there with the same problem." He rambled on.

"Like you?" she interrupted, staring him down.

"No, just people in general" words stumbling from his mouth. Kairi stared right into his eyes, reading them for doubt.

"I don't believe you." She concluded.

"Well that's your own damn problem." He shot back.

"Sora." She said without emotion. She knew what was going on.

"No more bullshit. All those days you came in with black eyes…"

He looked down to avoid eye contact.

"Him." He said simply.

"Who him?"

"My dad. I guess that's how I figured you out so quickly. I knew from experience." He said sadly.

"So all this time…we've been in the same sinking boat…" she added somberly. They were quiet for a bit.

"So…before all of… this, I wanted to say, I'm sorry Kairi. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that. I was a real ass." Sora said apologetically. Kairi looked a bit shocked. **He's really apologizing?**

"I mean it. Really." He said, reading her mind. Slowly, a smile crept onto Kairi's features.

"So, do you forgive me?" he asked.

"Sure. Sorry I kinda overreacted. You know that punch was pretty strong."

"Psh, yah no kidding. I'm surprised I didn't have that bad of a hangover." He said chuckling a bit.

Kairi giggled quietly.

"So…."

"So…."

"So…I guess we should get back to sleep. It's still too early to be up on a weekend." Sora said.

"Agreed." Kairi stated as she slumped back down into the couch.

"Hey Sora," Kairi said after a moment of silence.

"Yah?" he asked, sitting back up to face her.

"Thanks for apologizing." She said softly, once again finding herself caught up in his eyes. Her breath tickled his face, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on edge.

"Yah…no…no problem," he stuttered quietly as to not disturb the fragile distance they were at. She smiled at his blushing face, **Sora? Blushing? Maybe… I had him figured all wrong…** She reached out a tentative hand and delicately traced the line of his jaw, as if in a trance.

"You know I really-" Sora's incoherent mumbling was cut off with the pressure of Kairi's soft lips against his. His eyes drifted slowly closed as he returned it. It wasn't one of those major full-tongue-on make-out sessions, it was simple, and it meant more to the both of them than anyone could possibly realize.

Kairi pulled away, this time a small blush adorning her cheeks as well as she saw the look of shock on his.

"This is real." She whispered softly into his ear.

**AN:)) Aw, I'm sorry! I was fully planning on writing more but the ending was too perfect! Wow, this was a short chapter; I'll try to have a longer one next time! Please make that little purple button feel loved and review+X+ Livvy +X+**


	10. Limp

**AN:)) Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the long update again! I've been getting a little writer's block, but I'm trying to work through it. I've also been working on a new story. It too is a Sokai, I'm trying to write it all right now so that I can update regularly on it. Then I'm working on a Final Fantasy X one too. I won't be posting either of them until I've finished this one though! I will finish! We're actually getting fairly close to the end of this one. So with out further ramblings, I give you the latest chapter+X+ Livvy +X+**

"Limp"

A faint smile played on Sora's features as he listened to Kairi's soft whisper. Never in his life did he think Kairi would kiss him. To be honest, he never thought he really wanted it before, but now it felt amazing. He brushed a soft hand across her cheek and watched as her eyes momentarily fluttered closed once more.

So many questions were running through his mind: Did this mean Kairi had feelings for him too? How long had she had them? What would happen now? But she beat him to it.

"Sora? Did you mean that? I mean, did you mean…to…" she trailed off in embarrassment.

"Yes." He said, chuckling quietly at her nervousness.

"Good, because… I did too." She said trying to regain her composure.

Suddenly, a loud ring emitted from Kairi's cell phone causing their fragile moment to be shattered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the ringing mobile.

She didn't recognize the number, but decided to answer it anyway.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Is-is this Kairi?" a woman stuttered from the other line. She sounded like she was crying.

"Yes, who is this?" Kairi asked, starting to get worried.

"I'm Siefer's mother." **Siefer's mom? How'd she get my number?** I didn't know whether you'd want to know or not, but I heard he'd come to see you…" the woman started to cry more heavily.

"Ma'am, are you ok?" Kairi asked worriedly.

"No, my-he, Siefer is-he-he's dead." Kairi's eyes went wide and she sat up hurriedly, however she quickly felt the throbbing return to her stomach and lay back down.

"Oh my god. How?" By now, Sora was thoroughly confused. He tried to get Kairi's attention, but she wasn't responding.

"He committed suicide just last night. I came home and he was hanging-from—we were too late. He was doing so well! He was getting better!" the woman burst into sobs.

"When is the wake?" she asked timidly, trying not to upset her more.

"It's in a week at the Church of the Saints. We'll be having a viewing from 6-8 p.m. Do you think you can come?"

"Yes, I'll be there. I am so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you Kairi, I'll-I'll see you there."

"Yes, goodbye" Kairi said as she set her phone on the floor.

"Kairi? Kairi, are you ok?" Sora asked, but the only response he got were the tears leaking from her eyes.

"Kairi, what happened?!" he persisted.

"Siefer's dead." She said quietly.

"Who's Seifer?" Sora asked.

"He's…he's a friend. He was depressed for a while and we thought he was getting better, but…Sora, he just committed suicide!" she cried. "How could he be so selfish?! Didn't he think of his mom? She's a wreck! They just come home and, oh god." She just lay there crying for a while.

When her sniffling subsided, she smiled bitter sweetly, "Sorry for crying so much. I didn't mean to freak you out." She apologized.

"Don't even think about it. You have every right to cry. Sorry I couldn't do anything." Sora said, feeling quite useless.

She looked him straight in the eyes, "You did everything by just waiting with me. Most people would just give up and go about their business."

"It was nothing." He said, his cheeks tinted just the slightest bit. How had their dynamics changed so fast? When he thought over everything that had happened in the last 24 hours, he was overwhelmed, and he was sure Kairi had it worse.

"I think we should get some sleep, you especially. You need your energy to heal up. Later you can call Namine and ask to stay at her house. Not that I mind having you over here, I just thought you might want to see her."

"How'd you know Namine and I were so close? How do you even know her that well?" Kairi asked, truly curious.

"Roxas is my friend, and he's constantly going on and on about her. I know things." Sora said, "Sometimes things I don't want to know…"

Kairi laughed, "Regardless, that's sweet. They are perfect…Which reminds me…I need to have a talk with her about something I saw them doing." She thought out loud.

"What?" now Sora's curiosity was sparked.

"Well… I saw them…and they were…MAKING OUT! You should have seen how red they were when they found out I was there. Though I'm surprised they noticed me at all."

"No way! Damn, he didn't even tell me." He said in disbelief.

"Well, they were probably pretty embarrassed. Just go easy on him." Kairi insisted.

"Alright, now I'm going to sleep, and you better too." Sora ordered.

"Yes mom…"

"Kairi!"

"I'm just kidding. Thanks Sora, really. You've done so much for me." Kairi said as she sniggled back into a comfortable position.

"Anytime." Sora replied, watching her from where he lay until she fell asleep.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"_They just came home and found him like that? That's horrible."_

"I know, I'll fill you in more when I get there ok Namie?" Kairi asked over the phone.

"_Yah, that's fine. Be safe."_

"I'll try. Bye" Kairi hung up her cell phone.

"So you all set?" Sora asked. He had gotten up and changed while she was on the phone.

"Yah. Now just the blessed task of actually moving." Kairi said sarcastically as she attempted to sit up once more.

"Want some help?" he offered.

"No…ow god! Yes" Sora couldn't help but laugh. He grabbed her hands and hoisted her to her feet.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow. Damn it!" Kairi said as she held her stomach in pain.

"I'm sorry was that too fast?" he asked concerned again.

"No, it would have hurt anyway. I'm just glad it's over with." She said, walking towards the door, Sora following close behind.

When they reached the car, Sora opened the door for Kairi and she carefully sat down, trying not to hurt herself more. She hated being injured, she felt like a burden, unable to do what she wanted. Sora closed the door and climbed in his side before starting the car and driving to the house he now knew was Namine's.

"Thanks again for everything." Kairi said as she and Sora walked to the door.

"No problem. Hey if you need me, you know where I live." Sora said, smiling.

"Gotcha, I'll hold you to that too." She opened the door, knowing that Namine was probably upstairs waiting for her.

"Well…See ya." He said as he walked back down the stairs.

"Bye" she waved and slowly closed the door.

**AN:)) She's finally out of harms way…well for the time being… Sorry again for the super long wait! Thanks for bearing with me! Please review+X+ Livvy +X+**


	11. Destractions

**An:)) Ok, I know I suck. I got really busy and then I had to figure out where I wanted to go with this and blah blah blah, but I promise I will finish this by the end of the year. I only had a few more chapters to do. They'll bring back up a few things that you might have thought I'd forgotten about…hahaha, but I didn't! I made this chapter pretty long, hopefully as an apology type thing. I wrote it when I was in a dramatic mood so, yah. Ok, enough ramble, here's the next chapter!+X+Livvy +X+**

**I don't own anything**

**"Destractions"**

"So…"

"So what?" Kairi snapped impatiently. She knew what Namine was digging at.

"So what's going on with you and--"

"Don't even finish that sentence." Kairi warned, although very slowly her face was changing hues.

"You wanted to talk about something else. It's either this or you tell me exactly what happened at your dad's, why you've been at Sora's for the last day and a half, and why you're such a mess!" Namine shouted, becoming extremely agitated at Kairi for being so secretive from her best friend.

Kairi frowned. She felt ashamed for not telling Namine. She was her best friend, but right now it still hurt too much to even think about. Kairi swallowed hard, the simplest things somehow had become hard. Like talking to a best friend, her relationship with Sora, Seifer's death. She swallowed again as if hoping she could swallow all of her problems at the same time. She knew she had to tell Namine; she owed her as a friend.

"Um, yesterday I was stopping at home before work… my… _dad_…" she spat out the word as if it tasted vile, "he was asleep. I was really quiet, but I guess I woke him up when I was leaving and…he got really mad…" Kairi's eyes began to water and her voice was shaking.

"Kai?" Namine asked timidly, remorse gripping her for making Kairi relive this.

"No! Let me finish…" she said forcefully. She had gotten this far; she needed to get this off her chest. "He-he threw a lamp and it hit me in th-the stomach…" Kairi continued, lifting her shirt a bit so as to show Namine the large black rectangle stretching across her abdomen. She gasped loudly, tears beginning to gather in her eyes. Anyways, Sora somehow found my house…" she paused in thought. **How **_**did**_** he find my house?** "I don't know exactly what happened…but I think Sora knocked him out and took me to his house. He took care of me." She finally finished, thinking once again about her feelings towards him and once again finding them overwhelmingly confusing.

Finally Kairi realized that Namine hadn't said a word, hadn't moved and inch, since she had finished her story.

"Namie?" she called quietly. She didn't seem to be responsive, that is until she abruptly got up and hugged Kairi loosely so as to not hurt her, but comforting all the same.

"I'm so sorry Kai. I shouldn't have been so pushy." She apologized. Kairi smiled, "It's ok, it's not like you knew. But now that we're on the subject…you never did tell me what happened with you and Roxas."

"How is that on the subject?" Namine blushed, thrown off at her change of topic, though happy at the same time that Kairi wasn't dwelling too much on it. Her father wasn't worth it.

"It's on the subject that…well, does it matter? Just tell me!" Kairi insisted, slapping her hands on her lap the way a whinny child would when they weren't getting what they wanted.

"Fine, fine! Well we were talking and all of a sudden he took my hand. I stopped talking and looked over at him and he kissed me. And, well, you were there…" Namine trailed off blushing 10 shades of red.

"Well, well, well! If my little Namie isn't growing up!" Kairi squealed quite loudly and clasped her hands together. This did not help Namine's complexion. Kairi giggled and patted her shoulder.

"It's ok, I wont tell." She comforted. Namine smiled at this and finally regained her composure.

"So what now?" Kairi though out loud, slowly digesting the fact that she couldn't return home.

"Well you're staying with me, whether you want to or not." Namine ordered. Kairi didn't object. Namine's family was like the family she never had.

"What will you tell them?" Kairi asked quietly.

"The truth, what else? We're going to call the police and get that bastard behind bars. " She answered, not bothering to mask her anger.

"No! Don't tell the police! He'll be even more angry, and then who knows what he'll…" Kairi's face paled and she started to shake once again.

"Kairi, the police can handle it. You can't go on living in fear of him." This was one fight Namine wasn't going to lose and so Kairi simply nodded her head in agreement.

Feeling the weight of the somber mood, Namine spoke up, "I think we need to go out."

"What?" Kairi asked in bewilderment to the vast change of topic.

"Come on!" Namine forcefully pulled Kairi out of the chair she had occupied for the last few hours. "We are going out on the town! We'll get all dolled up and hit a club or something!"

"Namine, I don't think I'm up to dancing…"

"Ok, then coffee and a movie! Let's just get out of here. Being cooped up isn't good for you, now lets go!"

Kairi's exasperated frown slowly turned to that of a smile as she linked her arm with Namine's and steered her to the closet.

"Now, what to wear…" she stated as she began tearing through the racks of clothes.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sora roughly brushed a hand through his spiky hair. This whole predicament with Kairi had is brain in a frenzy. All he could think about was her. She was driving him crazy and she wasn't even there. He paced back and forth, anxiously wondering how she was. Hopefully she wouldn't try going back to her house; hopefully Namine wouldn't let her. How responsible was Namine? **God! I sound like her mother!**

He let out an exasperated sigh and sat down roughly on his desk chair. Kairi's situation had also made him think of his own. He couldn't stand living in the same house as his drunken father any longer. He needed to get out and fast. He hopped back off of his bed, thinking hard. **Who else could I stay with?** He thought quickly through his many relatives, but came up with no one. **Only a few more months… I'll just have to hold out until I graduate. Then I'll be out of here.**

He groaned at this bleak realization. He needed a break; just some time to get out of his head. And so, he grabbed his keys and was out the door in a manner of seconds, destination unknown.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Two girls came bursting through the front doors of a coffee shop and out onto the sidewalk, both laughing hysterically. Kairi leaned on Namine's shoulder for support, clutching her abdomen in pain of laughing so hard, and of her injury. When they finally recovered there were several people giving them strange looks. They just giggled more and continued walking down the sidewalk.

"Oh my gosh! Did you see the look on that guy's face?! Priceless!" Kairi exclaimed.

"I know! Gosh I can't believe we got kicked out of a Starbucks!" Namine laughed once more. So far the night out had been successful in two aspects: Kairi was looking as happy as ever and they were now both hyped up on caffeine.

They strolled carelessly down the sidewalk, receiving lustful glances from the men that passed them by. Yes, Namine had worked her magic once again. The young woman was extremely talented with make-up, and paired up with Kairi, who was amazing at picking out outfits, they were a sight no one could miss.

They came to a stoplight and had to wait for the light to change. Kairi glanced to her left and noticed a rather familiar car stopped next to them. She squinted her eyes and looked through the window, only to have her suspicions confirmed. Sitting in the driver's seat was none other than Sora.

"Eep!" Kairi squeaked and jumped around the corner of the closest building.

"Kairi?" Namine asked as she too rounded the corner. "What happened?"

"That's Sora's car" Kairi said peeking around the corner. Namine didn't seem to be catching on as she continued to stare baffled at her. " And Sora's in it…" Kairi continued.

"And…" Namine prompted. " What's so bad about that that you had to jump behind a building?"

"Um….well… I kinda kissed him and now it's kind of awkward…" she whispered as if some imaginary person was eavesdropping.

"WHAT?!" Namine shouted. Kairi clamped a hand over Namine's mouth until the girl quieted down. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Uh, cause it's me kissing Sora." Kairi said quietly, peaking around the corner once more.

"So, did you like it?" Namine asked, quite enjoying torturing Kairi this way. Revenge was so sweet.

"No!" Kairi protested quite loudly, then slapped a hand over her own mouth. Namine fixed her with a look. "Ok, fine. Yes, I liked it." she admitted in defeat. Namine smirked victoriously.

"Are you guys going out now?"

"Maybe…I don't know. We didn't really get to that part…" Kairi said, finally speaking at a normal volume, as the light had changed.

"Why? Were you too busy making out?" Namine teased.

"Namine!!!" the redhead shrieked, smacking her friend in the arm.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed, holding her wounded arm.

"Kairi?" a voice called out. Kairi spun around faster than she could stop herself. "Hey Sora." She replied. Namine's eyes went wide and an amused grin slowly spread across her face.

"What are you doing here?" Kairi asked.

"I was just out driving around and I turned this corner and saw you two. Hey Namine." he said waving at the blond. She waved back pleasantly as her grin continued to grow.

"Do you want to hang out with us? We were just about to go see a movie." Namine suggested before Kairi could stop her. Kairi shot her a glare and received only a grin back.

Sora had missed the exchange, but not the invitation, "Sure, let me just park." He replied and started to park next to the sidewalk.

As soon as he was out of listening range, Kairi turned to Namine, "Namine! I'm going to kill you! Do you know how awkward this is going to be?!"

"Really? I'm sorry Kai, I didn't know…" Namine said, sarcasm almost dripping from her tone.

"I just got done telling you!!" Kairi said, struggling to control her volume.

"Ok, so what movie?" Sora asked as he approached the two.

"Something scary! Kairi loves scary movies." Namine said, full well knowing the fury that Kairi would release later, but for now, it was worth it.

"Sounds good! I've been wanting to see the new version of The Chainsaw massacre really bad." Sora commented.

"Chainsaw Massacre it is then!" Namine agreed, ignoring the look of disbelief and anger Kairi was giving her.

They bought tickets and entered the theater. Namine, putting the cherry on top of her perfect plan, insisted that Sora sit between her and Kairi, "If I sit next to Kairi, we'll just talk the whole movie through. Best if you separate us." Namine insisted. Kairi would have to have a long talk with Namine later. It was obvious that she was trying to set them up, but the thing that was annoying Kairi the most was the fact that she kind of wanted to be set up.

The theater went dark and Kairi suddenly remembered that she was terrified of horror movies. She looked to her right and saw Sora settling into his seat, eagerly awaiting the start of the movie. She sighed and closed her eyes. Maybe if she didn't watch it wouldn't be so bad, but then curiosity got the best of her and she opened her eyes right in time to see the girl shoot herself. She with held a scream of shock, but almost jumped out of her seat.

"You ok Kairi?" Sora whispered having noticed her sudden movement.

"Yah. I'm fine." She whispered back, failing to sound fine. He gave her a skeptical look, but continued to watch the movie.

Inside her head Kairi was silently reassuring herself it was just a movie, but it didn't help much. Soon one of the chainsaw man had appeared and Kairi's hand flew to the arm rest and clutched it, or rather she would have, but Sora's hand was already occupying it. She immediately withdrew her hand and quietly apologized to him, her blush apparent even in the darkness.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Sora asked once more.

Kairi nodded, "Scary movies just really freak me out." She replied, twiddling her fingers in her lap.

"It's ok, I'm right here." He reassured her. Then the chainsaw man appeared, this time wearing the face of one of his victims, and Kairi's hand flew involuntarily to the armrest once again. Sora turned his hand over and held her's, not looking away from the screen, which was good because Kairi began to blush deeply.

She inhaled sharply and squeezed his hand tightly as she grew more and more frightened. Finally she decided it wasn't worth it anymore and closed her eyes tightly. Sora felt Kairi's grip loosen and looked over to see her lean over and fall asleep with her head on his shoulder. He laughed quietly at the sight, but let her sleep.

Kairi woke later to bright lights. Some one shook her gently. "Kairi, Come one, time to wake up. The movie's over." Sora said. She blinked, adjusting her eyes to the light. "Was it good? She asked yawning.

"It was ok, we've got to go though. Namine's going to meet us out front." He said, lifting her by the hand he still held. Her face flushed as she let go of his hand.

"Sorry for …you know" she said, closely examining the carpet.

"It's no problem. Are you feeling ok?" He asked with concern.

"It was just a movie Sora." She replied.

"No, I mean…are you _ok_?" He asked again, trying to get her to catch on.

"Oh, yah." She said, "I'm staying with Namine. Thank you again for taking care of me. I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it, seriously."

"And you wont tell anyone will you?" she asked cautiously.

"Of course not. Now come on, Namine's been waiting for a while." He said, pulling her along by the hand, but this time she didn't pull away.

**An:)) Haha! Finally! So yah, I tried to put some fluff in there. I can't make any promises about the next chapter. I'll try and get it out soon, but I've been really busy. Please, please leave a review! Many thanks+X+ Livvy +X+**


	12. When It Rains

**AN:)) I know, I know, this is probably the longest it's ever taken me to update. I've been having some issue with this story, and I'm not liking it as much as I used to, but never fear, I WILL finish. Scouts honor. There actually aren't many chapters left to go. Anyways, without further rambling, I give you the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, too bad.**

5, 6, 7, 8:

"And all. that .Jazz!"

"Alright everybody, that's a wrap!" Yuna called out as the music stopped. "Great job! Ok, so final dress rehearsal is tomorrow evening try to get here around 6:30 for make-up and costume, rehearsal starts at 7. Then we have the play on Friday night! Great job again and I'll see you tomorrow."

The students shuffled around, changing and putting things away. Kairi hung her costumes on the rack in perfect order.

"Wow, look how neat this rack is. I bet it took you a while to get it this nice…" Kairi turned to see Yuffie standing behind her. "Oops!" she called as she not so accidentally knocked the rack over scattering clothes all over the floor. "And now it'll take a while longer." She sneered as she walked over the clothing.

Kairi sighed in frustration. "Bitch" she grumbled to herself. She sat the rack back upright and began putting the clothes back on their hangers and in their designated spots.

After 10 minutes, Kairi finally finished restocking the rack. Sure some of the costumes were dangling off hooks or merely piled on top, but at the moment, she really didn't care. She huffed and brushed off her pants and went to get her purse.

"Kairi?"

Kairi turned to face Ms. Yuna standing in the doorway of her office. "Can I talk with you for a minute?"

Kairi glanced back at the disheveled rack and shrugged, "Sure."

Ms. Yuna closed the door behind her and took a seat behind her desk. Her hands folded and unfolded, a nervous habit that did not go unnoticed by Kairi. **This can't be good.** She thought, her anxiety quickly rising.

"Kairi, I'm a bit…worried about you. For the past few months I've noticed you've had a variety of bruises. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but is everything alright at home?" she finally asked.

**No.** Is the word that echoed through her mind, but instead a feeble "Yes." tumbled from her mouth.

Yuna sighed heavily and gazed at Kairi intently, as if trying to read her thoughts. She finally shook her head and sighed once more.

"Alright, if you need anything, you know my door is always open." She said as she settled back into her chair.

"Yes thank you." Kairi managed as she quickly left Ms. Yuna's office. It felt terrible to lie to her, but she did not need any more drama in her life. She walked briskly outside and down the long street that lead to Namine's house. In the biting cold air, Kairi now wished she had taken her friend up on the offer for a ride, but that would have spoiled her date with Roxas. So, she continued to walk, singing a quiet song to herself to pass time. The sky was a deep blue and the leaves flittered to the ground about her, the last of the vibrant reds falling loose from their branches. It was beautiful, but sad at the same time.

HONK!

Kairi nearly jumped out of her skin at the loud noise emitted from the car pulling beside her. She shot a deep glare at the driver, only to catch those familiar blue eyes that she was beginning to grow quite fond of.

"Geez, Kai. Am I really that frightening?" Sora teased playfully.

Kairi shivered as she replied, "And what if I said yes?"

"Then you would be out of a ride home." He answered, quite enjoying having the advantage of a warm car over her.

"Who said I was going to say yes?" she responded as she jumped inside the warm car. She sighed happily as she leaned close to the air vents. Sora was unable to hold in his amusement and he burst into laughter.

"Are you laughing at me?" Kairi asked, fixing him with a playful glare.

"Yes." He said frankly and she could not help but join in his laughter. He finally pulled away from the curb and started down the street.

"You know, it's so weird to think that all this time I thought I knew where you lived, but I was completely wrong." He said thoughtfully as he entered her neighborhood.

"Namine's house has always been more of a home to me than my house ever was." She said somberly as she stared out the window.

"I'm sorry." he said glancing over at her.

"It's alright, at least now I'm with people who care about me." But as the words slipped from her mouth she saw flashes of blue light coming from the front yard of Namine's house. Something was not right. She could feel it even before she saw the black and white police cars.

"Oh god." she breathed as she saw police dragging Namine's parents through the front door in hand cuffs. Their heads were bent low in shame.

"What's going on?" Sora asked as he pulled into the driveway.

"I don't know" Kairi replied as she hastily jumped from the car and ran over to the police car. Two officers were holding Namine's parents against the car while quickly reciting their rights.

"What's going on here?" Kairi asked as she approached them.

"Are you Kairi?" Asked one of the officers, recognizing her from the description they had received.

"Yes, why? Why are you arresting them?" she asked furiously. Everything was happening so quickly, like someone had pressed the fast forward button on her life.

"We have orders to arrest these two for charges of kidnapping and abusing …well, you." Said the other officer.

"What?! Who told you that? These people have been nothing but kind to me. Who's pressing these charges?" she demanded.

"Your father. Don't worry miss you'll see him soon and you'll be safe and sound at home where you should be."

"But I don't want to go back there. _He's_ the one abusing me! Not them! Please just let them go!" she pleaded.

"I'm afraid we can't do that. We have orders to bring these two into custody. A court date will be decided on shortly."

"Kairi, don't worry about us. Please just explain to Namine. We'll be fine." Namine's father called from inside the car. Kairi bent down and gazed through the window at the pair who had so kindly taken care of her.

"I'm so sorry! I swear I'll get this fixed!" she cried, tears gathering in her eyes. The two officers slammed the doors shut before they could say another word and quickly drove off, sirens blaring, and then fading into the distance. Kairi stood stone still, cemented in place.

"Kairi?" Sora called from behind her. She had been so caught up, that she hadn't even realized he was standing next to her.

"What do I do?" she whimpered. She stared up at him with a look so helpless it nearly broke his heart.

"First, we call Namine. Then, we go to the station." He said with resolve.

Kairi grabbed her mobile from her pocket. Her finger hovered over the talk button.

"It'll be fine. Namine will understand." Sora spoke as if reading her mind. She turned back to her phone and pressed the button.

The conversation with Namine was a short one. She immediately agreed to meet them at the station. Sora had been right. She felt foolish for her nervousness.

They drove to the station quickly and in silence, each silently brooding to themselves. When they arrived Namine was already inside, fuming and yelling at the man at the front desk. **Ok, so just because she's not mad at me, doesn't mean she's not mad at all.**

Kairi approached her from behind and attempted to stop her from introducing the man to a premature death. Namine spun about, her eyes still hard with frustration. She softened immediately and enclosed Kairi in a tight hug.

"They said that the bail is $200 and that they'll have to go to court next week. Kairi, will you be our witness?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Kairi asked, already rummaging through her purse for money to contribute to the bail.

"It's just, if I know your father he wont be too happy about this. I don't want you to do something you may regret…" Kairi stopped looking through her purse. She hadn't considered how her father might react. But she had no choice; she wasn't going to let Namine's parents sit in jail because of her.

"Don't worry about it Namie, I'll be fine. I may not look strong, but I can take a punch. How do you think I've lived with him for this long?" she said, flexing her arms to make Namine laugh. It worked.

"Well in that case, Sora you'd better keep an eye on her." Namine said humorously, but underneath her tone was serious.

"I'm turning into a baby-sitter." He complained, also trying to lighten the mood.

"Only so much better because it's me! And who said you call me baby? I haven't authorized any pet names yet." Kairi added. A large blush made its way across Sora's face and he ducked his face down to hide the evidence.

Namine made a well-placed clearing of the throat and lead the way out to the waiting room. They sat in there for a total of five excruciatingly quiet minutes. Finally, a large man in uniform brought out Namine's parents. They looked a tad disheveled, but not too worse for the wear.

She ran up to them and embraced them both in tight hugs. The officer took off their handcuffs and returned to a desk behind the counter.

"Your court date will be a week from now on the 19th. Don't even try to leave town. A notice will be sent to you in the mail." The butch man said without much enthusiasm. They took his silence afterwards as a queue to leave. He went back to reading some body builder magazine.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kairi paced circles in the kitchen of Namine's house. Everyone was seated around the counter, having just returned from the station.

"Ok, so what will our defense be? Do you have a lawyer? What can I do?" the questions flowed from her mouth in an unstoppable torrent. Her nerves showed as she fiddled with her fingers.

"Kairi calm down. Everything will be fine. I promise. You really need to get some rest though." Namine's mother tried to soothe her.

"Where can she go mom? She obviously can't go home, and she can't stay here with the police watching the house. It's already a stretch having her here right now." Namine asked, a little annoyed by the naivety of her parents.

"She'll stay with me." Sora stated plainly, breaking the silence he had held since leaving the station. Namine and Kairi stared at him incredulously, but Namine's parents looked quite pleased with the idea.

"That's so generous of you Sora." Namine's father commended him. Was she really that terrible to take care of? After all of the trouble she'd put everyone through, Kairi was beginning to think that she was. She smiled at Sora gratefully and was rewarded with one returned.

"Then it's settled. We'll get together tomorrow to discuss the details." Namine's mother said, sealing the deal.

"Wait, Kairi. I'm going with you. If that's ok with you Sora…" she trailed off, letting the sentence hang in the air with a suggestive tone. Kairi rolled her eyes knowing the conversation to come if Sora allowed Namine to come. Unfortunately, Sora's recent "be an amazing guy" streak held and he agreed. It was going to be a long night.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"So, Kairi, how are you doing?" Namine asked, trying to subtly broach the subject of Sora, who was currently in the shower with no chance of hearing the conversation.

"Cut the crap and ask your real question Nam. I know what you really want to know." Kairi said, seeing right through her.

"Alright, alright. What's the deal with you and Sora? Tell me the truth, I know there's more than you letting me in on." She said, frankly this time.

Kairi sighed and pursed her lips in thought. Even with the knowledge before hand that Namine would ask, she still felt unbelievably unprepared for the question. But she knew that she owed it to Namine to be honest, and quite honestly she needed to figure this out herself.

"Ok, well where do I start?" she asked, not knowing where to begin.

"Well, do you like him?" she prompted.

"I don't know. I know that I used to hate him. Then he kissed me and everything got screwed up. And lately with everything going on, he's been so amazing, but I'm sort of afraid that just as fast as this started, it's going to end. I don't know whether I should trust myself on this or not. Considering my last relationship, I don't know if I'm the best judge of character. What if it's all just a lie? I don't think I can take another let down." She said, her voice unsteady as she fought back the sting of tears.

"Kairi, I know I don't know him very well, but I can tell you that he cares about you. You should really see how he looks at you. I mean seriously! If you even sigh, he gets worried that you're not ok. And every time you so much as smile at him he's blushing all over. It's really kind of sad that you haven't noticed." She said, exasperated at her friend's obliviousness. Did he really blush that often? She must have been too busy trying to hide her own flushed face to notice.

"I know you better than to even ask again if you like him. It's written all over your face. You're blushing like mad." Namine pointed out, giggling at her friend's expense. Kairi's face heated up even more.

"Hey, what did I miss?" Sora suddenly walked into the room. Namine watched with amusement as Kairi's face got even redder, if it were possible.

"Are you ok Kairi? You're really red, are you feeling sick?" Sora asked, the concern evident in his voice, but even so, she had to see if Namine was right. She looked up to face him. His eyebrows were pushed together and his eyes shone with worry. She couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face.

"No, I'm fine." She assured him, her eyes still not leaving his face. She saw Namine get up from beside her.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be back…" Namine trailed off as she quietly edged out of the room, shooting Kairi a meaningful look as she left.

They remained quiet for a moment before Kairi broke the silence, "Sora—" she started, but was cut off by a loud ring coming from her pocket. She closed her mouth and sighed in frustration.

"Hello?" she asked, trying to keep the annoyance from reaching her voice.

"Hey Kairi. It's Leon." A voice replied from the other line. It was a voice she hadn't heard in a while. She immediately brightened up.

"Hey, what going on?" she asked.

"Well, I remember you mentioned your play was coming up in a couple days. I was thinking I might come, if that's ok with you." He answered. The play. She had nearly forgotten in everything that happened today.

"Of course, that would be awesome. You know the way right?" she confirmed.

"Yup. Ok, well then I'll see you then."

"Yah. Hey, thanks for calling Leon." She said, suddenly struck with how much she missed the closest thing to a brother she had.

"Anytime. Bye Kai."

"Bye." She hung up the phone and met Sora's questioning gaze.

"Oh that was Leon." She said, "He's coming to the play."

"Wow, I forgot. It's pretty soon isn't it?" he said with the same disbelief Kairi had felt moments before.

"Yah." She said, her mind already somewhere else. The silence stretched again. Sora knelt down beside her on the floor.

"Are you sure you're ok Kairi? I know you've been through a lot." He must have taken her silent meditation as sadness. She found that same worry shining in his deep blue eyes. She smiled, and without hesitation, leaned in and pressed her lips lightly to his. He nearly gasped in surprise, but allowed his eyes to slowly shut. He met the pressure from her lips and matched each gentle brush. His hands gently framed her face, taking in the softness of her skin. She didn't pull away and instead wound her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer. Finally, they pulled apart, breathless and smiling.

"Yes, I meant that one too." She answered before he could ask. He laughed and leaned in to capture her lips once more.

**AN:)) Aw, I loved writing that. I have to give some of the credit to Paramore's song "When it Rains" and other various songs off their album. So I hope this makes up for this freakishly long wait. Thanks for reading and don't forget to click that little purple button!**


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